Should I Move To
Charlottesville, Virginia comes in at about 46,289 residents. Cost of living comes out moderate — essentially matching the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,357/mo, and the median household income is about $67,177. Overall, 69/100 on our composite score, which works out to a B-, putting it at #23 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 101 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's moderate territory. With median rent at $1,357/mo and median household income at $67,177, housing takes about 24% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $398,400.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect four-season weather — summers near 88°F, winters around 30°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 46 inches annually. A walker's paradise by US standards. Many people here genuinely skip car ownership. AQI runs about 37 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
If you're profiling for families, Charlottesville comes out well. The profile-weighted score is 76/100 — a B+. Its standout dimension is walkability (94/100); the soft spot is job market (41/100).
On the retirees profile, Charlottesville sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 74/100 — a B. Its standout dimension is walkability (94/100); the soft spot is job market (41/100).
On the remote workers profile, Charlottesville sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 72/100 — a B. Its standout dimension is walkability (94/100); the soft spot is job market (41/100).
On the young professionals profile, Charlottesville sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 65/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is walkability (94/100); the soft spot is job market (41/100).
Our overall score for Charlottesville is 69/100 — a B-, sitting at #23 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Charlottesville sits at 101 — moderate, essentially matching the national average. Median renter pays around $1,357 a month.
Charlottesville runs four-season on the weather. Summer's near 88°F, winter's near 30°F; 46 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 94/100. A walker's paradise by US standards. Many people here genuinely skip car ownership.
Roughly 46,289 people live here, with 59% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 32.
Drop Charlottesville into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Charlottesville with other Virginia cities scored on UrbRank.
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