The Town Files

The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Virginia

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 121 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Virginia. #1 is Massanetta Springs, VA.

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Numbers match the ranking.
The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Virginia1. Massanetta Springs100th pct2. North Shore98th pct3. Berryville96th pct4. Chincoteague96th pct5. Bridgewater95th pct6. Daleville94th pct7. Union Mill91st pct8. Pantops91st pct9. Braddock89th pct10. Verona83rd pct11. West Point83rd pct12. Dahlgren82nd pct13. Hillsville80th pct14. Gloucester Courthouse78th pct15. Buena Vista77th pct16. Lovettsville76th pct17. Orange75th pct18. Luray75th pct19. Tazewell75th pct20. Crozet74th pct21. Marion74th pct22. Woodstock73rd pct23. Hollymead72nd pct24. Fishersville71st pct25. Woodlake69th pct
  1. 25Woodlake, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 69% of Virginia towns

    7,493 people · Chesterfield County · median home $406,800 · income $139,344 · Jan low 28°F · 10 in snow

  2. 24Fishersville, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 71% of Virginia towns

    9,629 people · Augusta County · median home $348,900 · income $83,671 · Jan low 23°F · 22 in snow

  3. 23Hollymead, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 72% of Virginia towns

    8,601 people · Albemarle County · median home $435,300 · income $118,250 · Jan low 30°F · 16 in snow

  4. 22Woodstock, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 73% of Virginia towns

    5,807 people · Shenandoah County · median home $268,700 · income $76,100 · Jan low 21°F · 24 in snow

  5. 21Marion, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 74% of Virginia towns

    5,751 people · Smyth County · median home $172,500 · income $40,896 · Jan low 23°F · 17 in snow

  6. 20Crozet, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 74% of Virginia towns

    9,224 people · Albemarle County · median home $547,200 · income $129,417 · Jan low 24°F · 11 in snow

  7. 19Tazewell, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 75% of Virginia towns

    4,486 people · Tazewell County · median home $111,700 · income $34,618 · Jan low 21°F · 39 in snow

  8. 18Luray, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 75% of Virginia towns

    4,831 people · Page County · median home $253,900 · income $50,150 · Jan low 23°F · 19 in snow

  9. 17Orange, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 75% of Virginia towns

    4,880 people · Orange County · median home $273,300 · income $76,370 · Jan low 25°F · 16 in snow

  10. 16Lovettsville, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 76% of Virginia towns

    2,694 people · Loudoun County · median home $543,700 · income $141,406 · Jan low 25°F · 29 in snow

  11. 15Buena Vista, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 77% of Virginia towns

    6,641 people · Buena Vista city · median home $156,200 · income $57,833 · Jan low 23°F · 11 in snow

  12. 14Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 78% of Virginia towns

    3,030 people · Gloucester County · median home $381,500 · income $75,341 · Jan low 29°F · 9 in snow

  13. 13Hillsville, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 80% of Virginia towns

    2,884 people · Carroll County · median home $159,000 · income $58,000 · Jan low 23°F · 15 in snow

  14. 12Dahlgren, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 82% of Virginia towns

    2,946 people · King George County · median home $423,300 · income $110,057 · Jan low 28°F · 13 in snow

  15. 11West Point, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 83% of Virginia towns

    3,414 people · King William County · median home $286,800 · income $78,785 · Jan low 28°F · 10 in snow

  16. 10Verona, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 83% of Virginia towns

    4,398 people · Augusta County · median home $256,200 · income $74,000 · Jan low 25°F · 22 in snow

  17. 9Braddock, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 89% of Virginia towns

    6,549 people · Fairfax County · median home $941,600 · income $211,689 · Jan low 23°F · 19 in snow

  18. 8Pantops, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 91% of Virginia towns

    4,682 people · Albemarle County · median home $522,900 · income $127,552 · Jan low 26°F · 16 in snow

  19. 7Union Mill, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 91% of Virginia towns

    4,997 people · Fairfax County · median home $961,400 · income $250,001 · Jan low 23°F · 19 in snow

  20. 6Daleville, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 94% of Virginia towns

    3,070 people · Botetourt County · median home $370,100 · income $103,056 · Jan low 25°F · 11 in snow

  21. 5Bridgewater, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 95% of Virginia towns

    6,596 people · Rockingham County · median home $384,700 · income $75,280 · Jan low 23°F · 19 in snow

  22. 4Chincoteague, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 96% of Virginia towns

    3,344 people · Accomack County · median home $349,500 · income $62,917 · Jan low 30°F · 8 in snow

  23. 3Berryville, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 96% of Virginia towns

    4,574 people · Clarke County · median home $550,500 · income $102,788 · Jan low 22°F · 22 in snow

  24. 2North Shore, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 98% of Virginia towns

    3,332 people · Franklin County · median home $504,400 · income $109,951 · Jan low 26°F · 6 in snow

  25. 1Massanetta Springs, Virginia

    Better for retirees than 100% of Virginia towns

    6,384 people · Rockingham County · median home $467,700 · income $114,737 · Jan low 23°F · 19 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Virginia towns0255075100$84K$327K$570K$813K$1056KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 25 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Virginia.

More Virginia rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 121 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Virginia (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: