11 VA Cities Among Best Small Towns In America: Ranking

VIRGINIA — If you're looking to get away from the bright lights and crowded spaces of big cities, look no further. These 11 Virginia communities are among the best small towns in America, according to a new ranking.

For its 2024 list of the Best Small Cities In America, WalletHub analyzed more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 45 key metrics of livability. The metrics ranged from housing costs to school-system quality to the number of restaurants per capita.

Each metric was then graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best conditions for small-city residents.

Given the large number of cities included in the ranking, towns were grouped by percentile. The 99th percentile represents the top 1 percent of small cities in America, according to WalletHub.

Out of all Virginia cities that made the list, only Leesburg in Loudoun County made the 99th percentile. Leesburg earned an overall score of 68.75 and scored high in areas including education and safety.

Other Virginia cities that made the list were Sterling and Ashburn, which ranked in the 95th percentile with scores of 66.23 and 66.02, respectively. Both cities also ranked No. 1 in safety, according to WalletHub.

Virginia cities that ranked at the 70th percentile or above were:

• Charlottesville (90th percentile)
• McLean (88th percentile)
• Manassas (86th percentile)
• Reston (76th percentile)
• Centreville (75th percentile)
• Winchester (72nd percentile)
• Springfield (71st percentile)
• Annandale (70th percentile)

The following cities ranked below the 70th percentile:

• Harrisonburg (61st percentile)
• Lynchburg (60th percentile)
• Fredericksburg (59th percentile)
• Mechanicsville, Blacksburg (58th percentile)
• Suffolk (51st percentile)
• Roanoke (26th percentile)
• Danville (8th percentile)
• Portsmouth (2nd percentile)
• Petersburg (1st percentile)

Nationally, Carmel, Indiana, is the best small city to live in, due in part to strong economic factors. Carmel has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and also has the 33rd-lowest cost of rent as a share of median household income, researchers said.

Following Carmel was Brookfield, Wisconsin, and Lexington, Massachusetts.

See the full ranking online.