Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 43/100
D
Median home value$283,600
Richmond $353,500
Median rent$1,616/mo
Richmond $1,447/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Richmond 30%
Laurel
Henrico County18,721 residentsHenrico County Public Schools
61
C
Suburbgrade score
15th of 20 Richmond suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
61
Richmond median 63
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Laurel yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 61 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Laurel is like to live in, by category
Bars show Laurel against Richmond. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 63/100
C+
Within-state proficiency—
percentile among districts in the same state
Student–teacher ratio16.1
Richmond median 14.2
Graduation rate87%
Richmond median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Housing cost index97
Richmond 100
Eff. tax rate0.66%
Richmond 0.72%
Local sales tax5.77%
Richmond median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 65/100
C+
Mean commute24.0 min
Richmond 25.4 min
Under 30 minutes75%
Richmond 65%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
Richmond median 0.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 72/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés84
Richmond median 53 · within 2 miles
Groceries9
Richmond median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks11
Richmond median 17 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 53/100
C−
Median household income$73,609
Richmond $86,679
Unemployment5.0%
Richmond 4.5%
Professional occupations39%
Richmond 47%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Laurel yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Laurel on housing & affordability
Laurel's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Wyndham7 mi from LaurelA 68 B− Short Pump6 mi from LaurelB− 73 B Bon Air9 mi from LaurelC 66 C+ Rockwood13 mi from LaurelC 64 C+ Glen Allen2 mi from LaurelC 63 C+ Midlothian13 mi from LaurelC 67 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Laurel
Is Laurel, VA a good place to live?
Laurel scores 61 out of 100, 15th of 20 Richmond suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Laurel expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $283,600, 20% below the Richmond median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.66%. $1,616/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Laurel?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Laurel sit at the — within-state proficiency percentile, with a 87% graduation rate and a 16.1 student–teacher ratio. Laurel is served by Henrico County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Laurel?
The mean commute is 24.0 min, with 75% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Laurel?
Within two miles there are 9 groceries, 84 restaurants and cafés and 11 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Laurel old or new?
The median home in Laurel was built in 1982 — close to the Richmond median of 1984. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 63% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.