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Place dossier plate
SheetVA-RICHLANDS-VA · Richlands, VA 5,188 pop · income 6th pct · 13 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Richlands
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Richlands on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Norwood · lowest
37,375
Norwood · lowest
37,375 median HH income
29.8% of the leader · rank #1
Elmore City · near
37,375
Elmore City · near
37,375 median HH income
29.8% of the leader · rank #2
Gary · near
37,380
Gary · near
37,380 median HH income
29.8% of the leader · rank #3
Richlands · this city
37,382
Richlands · this city
37,382 median HH income
29.8% of the leader · rank #4
Brunson · near
37,391
Brunson · near
37,391 median HH income
29.8% of the leader · rank #5
Falmouth · highest
125,305
Falmouth · highest
125,305 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Richlands on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 5,188.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Richlands - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Richlands lands in the 6th percentile for household income and the 41st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
6th
percentile, household income
12th
percentile, home value
62nd
percentile, median rent
41st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Richlands, VA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 5,188 residents in Richlands, a small town within Virginia. Households in Richlands report a median income of $37,382 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 19.4%. Home values in Richlands run a median of $107,300, and the median resident age is 41.6 years. Educational attainment runs 14.8% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 36.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Richlands reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1647.8 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 53.4°F with 44.6 inches of precipitation per year and 17.6 inches of snowfall.
Virginia tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Virginia scores 101.1 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,369 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Virginia's average monthly utility costs around $235 (state average). Natural-hazard exposure scores 33.3 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Richlands's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to climate and hazard context to schools and households to within-city variation to population change to housing and income to reported crime to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Richlands, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Richlands?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 84.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 53.4°F, with 44.6 inches of precipitation and 17.6 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Virginia is 33.3 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
What can 13 Census tracts reveal inside Richlands?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 13 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Richlands?
Within Virginia, the closest population matches are Bealeton (5,193 residents, $103,365 income); Big Stone Gap (5,193 residents, $51,059 income); Falmouth (5,036 residents, $125,305 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Colona, IL (5,189 residents); Comstock Northwest, MI (5,190 residents); Duquesne, PA (5,186 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Richlands?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 14.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
3
Bachelor's degree+
14.8%
Poverty estimate
19.4%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Is Richlands growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -227 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -4.3% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-4.3%
2025 estimate
5,051
2020 estimate
5,278
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Richlands?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 19.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$37,382
Home value
$107,300
Value / income
2.9×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Richlands?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1647.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 28% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1250.7
Violent rate
397.1
Total reported rate
1647.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 19.4% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
101.1 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Virginia average
F
City profile score · Richlands, VA
18/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living F
101.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
397 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
14.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
19.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$37,382
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Richlands profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 35/100 (F) · 101.1 index
Violent crime: 22/100 (F) · 397 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 20/100 (F) · 14.8%
Poverty rate: 14/100 (F) · 19.4%
Household income: 3/100 (F) · $37,382
Where Richlands sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Richlands's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Richlands highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Richlands, VA (this city): home $107,300, crime 1,648/100k
Colona, IL : home $152,100, crime 908/100k
Duquesne, PA : home $57,500, crime 1,854/100k
Newport, NH : home $191,000, crime 1,008/100k
Big Stone Gap, VA : home $169,900, crime 1,676/100k
Bluefield, VA : home $161,100, crime 3,179/100k
Orange, VA : home $252,800, crime 1,810/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Richlands compare to other US cities?
Where Richlands sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income6% higher than other cities
Home value12% pricier than other cities
Median rent62% pricier than other cities
Safety41% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Virginia and the picture shifts: Richlands ranks #51 of 117 Virginia cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Richlands against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Virginia only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Virginia-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Richlands near the bottom of Virginia's cities
Among the 619 Virginia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Richlands ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Richlands only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#515 of 558
8th percentile in Virginia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 619
0th percentile in Virginia
Median Home Value
#519 of 567
8th percentile in Virginia
Poverty Rate
#74 of 616
88th percentile in Virginia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#473 of 618
23rd percentile in Virginia
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Virginia only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
6th percentile nationally for median household income · 41st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Richlands's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Richlands's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Richlands's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$107,300Among the most affordablemore affordable than 88% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Richlands's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,960 of 15,516
More affordable than 62% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,133 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.9×, Richlands sits in the affordable band:
national rank #5,960 of 15,516 and #5,133 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$37,382Richlands, VA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Richlands, VA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Richlands, VA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)14.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)19.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)36.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,188
Median Income
$37,382
Median Home Value
$107,300
Median Age
41.6
Poverty Rate
19.4%
Labor force participation
36.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
14.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1647.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
397.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1250.7
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
53.4°F
Annual Precipitation
44.6"
Annual Snowfall
17.6"
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Richlands's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,278 residents
2021
5,220 residents
2022
5,179 residents
2023
5,131 residents
2024
5,095 residents
2025
5,051 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
84.1%
Carpool
9.2%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
2.3%
Work from Home
4.2%
Based on 1,555 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Virginia statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $235
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Virginia at $235 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Virginia statewide averages, not a meter reading for Richlands. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Virginia's BEA cost-of-living index is 101.1 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Richlands is $1,369/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Virginia statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 33.3 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Virginia statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Richlands sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Richlands compares to similar-size Virginia cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.