Richmond, Virginia
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Richmond.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Richmond compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 227,595City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $62,671Incorporated place (ACS)20% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 103ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)Near U.S. avg (100)U.S. 100
- Median home value
- $328,100City limits (ACS)8% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,314City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.9%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 23 min8% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 5113% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 462.9annualized per 100k · citywide23% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 3499.5annualized per 100k · citywide13% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 88°FNear U.S. avg (87°F)U.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 30°F4.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 45.5 in38% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2468% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Richmond with another city
Federal-contractor suburbs and Atlantic coastal towns pull different budgets. Expect summer highs near 88°F and winter lows around 30°F. Average one-way commute time is about 23 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 51/100. Labor-market readings near 3.9% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. Violent-offense rates near 462.9 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
About 227,595 people live in Richmond, VA. With median income around $62,671 and a cost index of 103, the market reads close to the national housing-cost baseline. Entry home prices around $328,100 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Richmond is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Richmond with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Richmond city, 1600000US5167000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN517600000000003 (Richmond city, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00013740 RICHMOND INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28