Should I Move To
Roughly 227,171 people live in Richmond, Virginia. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, essentially matching the national average. Median rent runs about $1,227/mo; the typical household pulls in $59,606. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 45/100 — a D, putting it at #682 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
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.
By the composite index, Richmond sits at 98 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,227/mo against $59,606 median household income), housing eats roughly 25% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $308,300.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 88°F in summer, 30°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 46 inches. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Crime runs a touch higher than the typical US city — citywide numbers, of course, mask big neighborhood differences. Air quality reads good (AQI 37).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Richmond isn't the strongest match. It earns 52/100 (grade C-) on the families profile. Strongest on environmental quality (80/100); weakest on walkability (0/100).
For retirees, Richmond isn't the strongest match. It earns 48/100 (grade D) on the retirees profile. Strongest on environmental quality (80/100); weakest on walkability (0/100).
For remote workers, Richmond isn't the strongest match. It earns 54/100 (grade C-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on environmental quality (80/100); weakest on walkability (0/100).
For young professionals, Richmond isn't the strongest match. It earns 34/100 (grade F) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on environmental quality (80/100); weakest on walkability (0/100).
Richmond, Virginia pulls a 45/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #682 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Richmond's cost-of-living index is 98 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the moderate band — essentially matching the national average. Median rent runs about $1,227/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 88°F, winter averages around 30°F, with about 46 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 0/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Richmond has about 227,171 residents, 44% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 35.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Richmond head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Richmond stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
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 Richmond with other Virginia cities scored on UrbRank.
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