The 10 Best Places To Retire In Virginia For 2023


We analyzed over 36 places in Virginia to identify the ones that offer the most to retirees.

Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the best places to retire in Virginia.

If your retirement requirements involve hiking through the Appalachian Mountains, soaking up the sun in Virginia Beach, and paying less in taxes, then Virginia is for you.

That's right. Virginia is not only for lovers, it's also for people looking to spend their retirement years in safe, affordable neighborhoods with tons of stuff to do. And lucky for you, HomeSnacks has created the ultimate guide for Virginia retirees: we've created a list of the top ten best places to retire in Old Dominion for 2023.

To determine Virginia's cream of the crop, we looked at several important factors like cost of living, crime, amenities, rent and distance to closest national airport for every place with over 10,000 residents. In total, we analyzed 38 cities and below is a list of Virginia's best.

The competition for Virginia's best place to retire was fierce. Heck, it's not lost on us that many of Virginia's best places to retire are also the state's safest places and some of the best places in Virginia to raise a family. And there must be something super special about Poquoson and Falls Church: they keep showing up on all of Virginia's best of the best lists and they keep crushing their competition.

Want to know the other places in Virginia where you can live the retirement dream? Keep reading.

Why did Warrenton take the top spot? And where are Virginia Beach and Chesapeake?

If you choose to live in one of Virginia's best places to retire, you could be strolling the Dan Daniel Memorial Park in Danville or rubbing elbows with Staunton's finest on the greens at The Club at Ironwood. And if you play your cards right, you could just become a permanent resident of Virginia's number one, best place to retire.

So, what's the best place to retire in Virginia for 2023? The best place to retire in Virginia would be Warrenton according to the most recent data.

To see how your favorite Virginia cities compared, take a look at the list below; and if you don't see it there, head to the bottom.

For more Virginia state reading:

The 10 Best Places To Retire In Virginia For 2023

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 10,002
Rank Last Year: -
Median Rent: $1,404
Distance to Closest Airport: 24 miles
More on Warrenton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Warrenton, VA

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 13,476
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Rent: $685
Distance to Closest Airport: 81 miles
More on Martinsville: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Martinsville, VA

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 23,020
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Rent: $957
Distance to Closest Airport: 14 miles
More on Hopewell: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Hopewell, VA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 12,382
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Rent: $1,475
Distance to Closest Airport: 10 miles
More on Poquoson: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Poquoson, VA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 25,358
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Rent: $897
Distance to Closest Airport: 102 miles
More on Staunton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Staunton, VA

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 42,556
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $733
Distance to Closest Airport: 59 miles
More on Danville: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Danville, VA

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 15,039
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 3)
Median Rent: $989
Distance to Closest Airport: 39 miles
More on Front Royal: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Front Royal, VA

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 14,494
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 3)
Median Rent: $2,020
Distance to Closest Airport: 15 miles
More on Falls Church: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Falls Church, VA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 15,299
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $1,204
Distance to Closest Airport: 15 miles
More on Williamsburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Williamsburg, VA

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 22,149
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3)
Median Rent: $860
Distance to Closest Airport: 94 miles
More on Waynesboro: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Waynesboro, VA

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Old Dominion for 2023

To create our list of the best places in Virginia to retire, we first used Census data to find all places in the Old Dominion -- 593 cities and towns.

We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren't townships. This left us with 38 places from across the state.

For these 38, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI's Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:

  • Low cost of living as measured by rent
  • Low crime
  • Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
  • Nice weather
  • Distance to the closest international airport
  • Other retirees (High median age)

We then ranked each of these places for each criteria from one to 38, with the lowest number being the best.

Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Warrenton, with the lowest average rank was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second careers. You can download the data here.

Summary: Maybe You're Not Ready To Retire In Virginia Yet...

So there you have it, the best place to retire in Virginia goes to Warrenton.

If you're not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley:

  1. Blacksburg
  2. Manassas
  3. Fredericksburg

For more Virginia reading, check out:

Where Are The Best Places To Retire In Virginia?

Rank City Population Median Rent
1 Warrenton 10,002 $1,404
2 Martinsville 13,476 $685
3 Hopewell 23,020 $957
4 Poquoson 12,382 $1,475
5 Staunton 25,358 $897
6 Danville 42,556 $733
7 Front Royal 15,039 $989
8 Falls Church 14,494 $2,020
9 Williamsburg 15,299 $1,204
10 Waynesboro 22,149 $860

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.