Harriston, Virginia

Community in Augusta County · population 948 (2020 Census)

Median home: $183,700
Household income: $93,250
Jan low / Jul high: 23° / 86°
Snow a year: 17 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 8
Median age: 42.9

Harriston is a community of 948 people in Augusta County, Virginia. The median home is worth $183,700, below the typical Virginia town ($298,050). It ranks quieter than 96% of Virginia towns, easier by car than 84% of Virginia towns, better for retirees than 70% of Virginia towns.

Harriston in our rankings:

How Harriston ranks

Percentile among Virginia towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Virginia towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Harriston is worth $183,700, below the typical Virginia town ($298,050). Homes cost about 2.0 times the median household income of $93,250, which is more affordable than 96% of Virginia towns. Median rent is $1,051 a month. 78.0% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Virginia towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Harriston	Typical Virginia town
Median home value	$183,700	$298,050
Median rent	$1,051	$1,254
Median household income	$93,250	$78,595
Home value ÷ income	2.0×	3.8×
Homeownership	78.0%	69.2%
Median year built	1986	1980
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Harriston

People	Harriston	Typical Virginia town
Median age	42.9	39.8
Age 65 and over	20.4%	17.3%
Under 18	17.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	5.9%	31.2%
Below the poverty line	8.3%	8.8%
Veterans	4.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	11.7%	12.8%
Average commute	37.0 min	26.3 min
Homes with broadband	84.1%	91.8%

Weather in Harriston

July highs average 85.7°F and January lows 23.4°F. About 45.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 17.2 inches of snow (typical Virginia town: 13.4 in). Expect about 18 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 120 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Waynesboro Wtp station (9.3 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Harriston since 1950, compared with 11 for the typical Virginia town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on April 5, 1952 about 0.8 miles from the town center. The most recent was on August 6, 2020.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 22 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on May 15, 2025.

Severe weather in Augusta County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Augusta County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 3 deaths recorded.

Augusta County has been included in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 23, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3631: Severe Winter Storm
April 2, 2020	Biological	DR-4512: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3448: Covid-19
September 11, 2018	Hurricane	EM-3403: Hurricane Florence
October 29, 2012	Hurricane	EM-3359: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Augusta County

Augusta County had 29,861 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $59,516 a year. Unemployment was 2.5% in 2023; in Harriston itself the ACS puts it at 0%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Harriston

Crimora, VA
3.4 mi · 2,219 people · home $204,800
New Hope, VA
3.9 mi · 843 people · home $323,600
Grottoes, VA
4.2 mi · 2,899 people · home $275,700
Weyers Cave, VA
6.9 mi · 2,700 people · home $283,800
Dooms, VA
7.6 mi · 1,279 people · home $274,100
Mount Sidney, VA
8.5 mi · 678 people · home $348,800
Verona, VA
10.0 mi · 4,398 people · home $256,200
Waynesboro, VA
10.6 mi · 22,196 people · home $245,500

Harriston questions

Is Harriston, Virginia a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Harriston scores better for retirees than 70% of Virginia towns and quieter than 96%. 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 42.9).

How much does a house cost in Harriston?

The median owner-occupied home in Harriston is valued at $183,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $93,250, so homes cost about 2.0 times income. Median rent is $1,051 a month.

What is the weather like in Harriston?

July highs average 85.7°F and January lows 23.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 45.3 inches of precipitation a year and 17.2 inches of snow.

Does Harriston get tornadoes?

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Harriston since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on April 5, 1952. The typical Virginia town has had 11.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Harriston's Census boundary (GEOID 5135640). Comparisons use the median of Virginia towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.