countyscore

Best Counties for Retirement in Virginia 2026

133 counties ranked with the Retiree lens of the County Fit Score.

Top 5 Retirement Counties in Virginia

1Bath County
75.8
baseline 75.8
2Bland County
75.6
baseline 72.9
3Floyd County
71.6
baseline 70
4Highland County
69.3
baseline 62.6
5Goochland County
69.1
baseline 63.9

All 133 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Virginia

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Bath County, VA75.875.80
2Bland County, VA75.672.9+2.7
3Floyd County, VA71.670+1.6
4Highland County, VA69.362.6+6.7
5Goochland County, VA69.163.9+5.2
6Appomattox County, VA68.363.4+4.9
7Lunenburg County, VA68.261.6+6.6
8Mathews County, VA66.563.5+3
9Lexington city, VA66.464.2+2.2
10Botetourt County, VA65.764.2+1.5
11Fluvanna County, VA65.759.6+6.1
12Dickenson County, VA6564.5+0.5
13Bedford County, VA64.659.1+5.5
14Clarke County, VA64.464+0.4
15Carroll County, VA64.363.4+0.9
16King William County, VA64.258.7+5.5
17Russell County, VA64.162.3+1.8
18Craig County, VA63.960.5+3.4
19Northumberland County, VA63.265.8-2.6
20Surry County, VA63.264.9-1.7
21Grayson County, VA6365.6-2.6
22King and Queen County, VA62.863.5-0.7
23Prince Edward County, VA62.456+6.4
24Greensville County, VA62.359.2+3.1
25Lancaster County, VA6257.7+4.3
26Poquoson city, VA6255.5+6.5
27New Kent County, VA61.956+5.9
28Patrick County, VA61.958.9+3
29Campbell County, VA61.857.5+4.3
30James City County, VA61.856.2+5.6
31Richmond County, VA61.861.9-0.1
32Madison County, VA61.760.1+1.6
33Franklin County, VA61.259.7+1.5
34Powhatan County, VA60.955.2+5.7
35Amherst County, VA60.558.5+2
36Augusta County, VA60.358.7+1.6
37Charlotte County, VA60.258.6+1.6
38Giles County, VA6056.8+3.2
39Washington County, VA59.859.1+0.7
40Halifax County, VA59.355.8+3.5
41King George County, VA59.355.1+4.2
42Rockbridge County, VA5954.3+4.7
43Fauquier County, VA58.657.9+0.7
44Rappahannock County, VA58.560.7-2.2
45Spotsylvania County, VA58.454.5+3.9
46Frederick County, VA58.355+3.3
47Gloucester County, VA57.854.1+3.7
48Amelia County, VA57.754+3.7
49Rockingham County, VA56.957.2-0.3
50Wythe County, VA56.356.30
51Radford city, VA56.247.8+8.4
52Scott County, VA56.153.9+2.2
53Hanover County, VA5655.3+0.7
54Smyth County, VA55.856.4-0.6
55Middlesex County, VA55.653.9+1.7
56Pittsylvania County, VA55.654.5+1.1
57York County, VA55.452.3+3.1
58Stafford County, VA55.353.5+1.8
59Greene County, VA55.151.6+3.5
60Northampton County, VA55.155.3-0.2
61Williamsburg city, VA5549.3+5.7
62Southampton County, VA54.954.5+0.4
63Buckingham County, VA54.754.6+0.1
64Covington city, VA54.746.8+7.9
65Mecklenburg County, VA54.651.9+2.7
66Lee County, VA54.451.6+2.8
67Brunswick County, VA54.355.9-1.6
68Loudoun County, VA54.157.1-3
69Westmoreland County, VA54.156-1.9
70Culpeper County, VA5450.3+3.7
71Orange County, VA53.953.5+0.4
72Louisa County, VA53.752.6+1.1
73Henry County, VA53.651.6+2
74Cumberland County, VA53.550.5+3
75Sussex County, VA53.349.4+3.9
76Charles City County, VA53.251.9+1.3
77Montgomery County, VA53.249.3+3.9
78Prince George County, VA53.149.4+3.7
79Nelson County, VA52.852.4+0.4
80Shenandoah County, VA52.754.1-1.4
81Caroline County, VA52.648.1+4.5
82Tazewell County, VA52.648.7+3.9
83Falls Church city, VA52.352+0.3
84Alleghany County, VA51.954.2-2.3
85Warren County, VA51.751.9-0.2
86Essex County, VA51.651.1+0.5
87Buena Vista city, VA51.543.9+7.6
88Page County, VA51.151.5-0.4
89Wise County, VA51.153.5-2.4
90Roanoke County, VA50.749+1.7
91Isle of Wight County, VA50.547.9+2.6
92Buchanan County, VA5050.9-0.9
93Dinwiddie County, VA49.445.2+4.2
94Staunton city, VA49.345.2+4.1
95Norton city, VA49.246.5+2.7
96Albemarle County, VA48.444+4.4
97Pulaski County, VA47.446.5+0.9
98Accomack County, VA47.247.4-0.2
99Arlington County, VA47.244.4+2.8
100Salem city, VA47.142.5+4.6
101Chesterfield County, VA46.943.2+3.7
102Nottoway County, VA46.444.3+2.1
103Virginia Beach city, VA46.344+2.3
104Waynesboro city, VA45.840+5.8
105Bristol city, VA45.642+3.6
106Martinsville city, VA43.644.1-0.5
107Fairfax County, VA43.444.1-0.7
108Henrico County, VA43.138.9+4.2
109Fairfax city, VA42.636.6+6
110Fredericksburg city, VA41.337+4.3
111Alexandria city, VA41.239.4+1.8
112Lynchburg city, VA41.236.8+4.4
113Galax city, VA40.739.6+1.1
114Charlottesville city, VA40.640.4+0.2
115Harrisonburg city, VA40.538.4+2.1
116Prince William County, VA40.439.7+0.7
117Colonial Heights city, VA40.337.2+3.1
118Manassas Park city, VA39.236+3.2
119Franklin city, VA38.635.2+3.4
120Winchester city, VA37.935.7+2.2
121Danville city, VA37.737.70
122Chesapeake city, VA37.639.3-1.7
123Suffolk city, VA37.435.6+1.8
124Emporia city, VA37.239-1.8
125Hopewell city, VA35.831.9+3.9
126Hampton city, VA3533+2
127Petersburg city, VA34.629.9+4.7
128Manassas city, VA34.132.2+1.9
129Newport News city, VA31.231+0.2
130Richmond city, VA28.526.7+1.8
131Roanoke city, VA2827.9+0.1
132Portsmouth city, VA27.626.6+1
133Norfolk city, VA26.827.1-0.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Virginia?

Based on the Retiree lens, Bath County ranks as the top retirement county in Virginia with a County Fit Score of 75.8. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in Virginia are ranked for retirement?

We rank 133 counties in Virginia with the Retiree lens, using independent importance values for health, safety, taxes, cost, disaster risk, water, and weather.

Also Browse Virginia Counties For

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Retirement Rankings by State

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.