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Place dossier plate
SheetVA-STEPHENS-CITY-VA · Stephens City, VA 2,338 pop · income 74th pct
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 Stephens City
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Stephens City on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Aliceville · lowest
33,125
Aliceville · lowest
33,125 median HH income
23.5% of the leader · rank #1
North Ridgevi… · near
94,234
North Ridgevi… · near
94,234 median HH income
66.9% of the leader · rank #2
Stephens City · this city
94,250
Stephens City · this city
94,250 median HH income
66.9% of the leader · rank #3
Minden · near
94,250
Minden · near
94,250 median HH income
66.9% of the leader · rank #4
Berlin Heights · near
94,250
Berlin Heights · near
94,250 median HH income
66.9% of the leader · rank #5
Antioch · near
94,256
Antioch · near
94,256 median HH income
66.9% of the leader · rank #6
Rivanna · highest
140,903
Rivanna · highest
140,903 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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 Stephens City 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: 2,338.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Stephens City - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Stephens City lands in the 74th percentile for household income and the 49th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
74th
percentile, household income
63rd
percentile, home value
62nd
percentile, median rent
49th
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: Stephens City, VA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 2,338 residents in Stephens City, a small town within Virginia. The typical household in Stephens City brings in $94,250 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.2%. Typical homes in Stephens City are valued around $287,600, and the median resident age is 35.2 years. 28.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 77.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Stephens City reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1397.9 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,369 monthly. 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 Stephens City'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 reported crime to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to schools and households to population change to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Stephens City, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Stephens City?
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 1397.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 39% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What does the journey to work look like in Stephens City?
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 80.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Which cities make useful reference points for Stephens City?
Within Virginia, the closest population matches are Warsaw (2,324 residents, $83,594 income); Rivanna (2,258 residents, $140,903 income); Louisa (2,249 residents, $55,202 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Aliceville, AL (2,338 residents); Cetronia, PA (2,338 residents); North Rock Springs, WY (2,338 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.
What does the education layer cover for Stephens City?
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 28.3% 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 matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
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.
Population change
Is Stephens City growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +174 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +8.6% 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
+8.6%
2025 estimate
2,207
2020 estimate
2,033
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Stephens City?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.2%, 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
$94,250
Home value
$287,600
Value / income
3.1×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above median income · poverty 4.2% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
101.1 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Virginia average
B-
City profile score · Stephens City, VA
65/100
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.
Violent crime A
47 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income B
$94,250
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate B
4.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C
28.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
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.
Stephens City profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 85/100 (A) · 47 /100k
Household income: 73/100 (B) · $94,250
Poverty rate: 71/100 (B) · 4.2%
Bachelor's+ share: 55/100 (C) · 28.3%
Cost of living: 35/100 (F) · 101.1 index
Where Stephens City sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Stephens City'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 - Stephens City highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Stephens City, VA (this city): home $287,600, crime 1,398/100k
Aliceville, AL : home $104,300, crime 743/100k
Gibbsboro, NJ : home $278,200, crime 1,487/100k
Warsaw, VA : home $262,500, crime 771/100k
Louisa, VA : home $308,200, crime 1,859/100k
Glade Spring, VA : home $170,700, crime 2,193/100k
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 Stephens City compare to other US cities?
Here's how Stephens City stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income74% higher than other cities
Home value63% pricier than other cities
Median rent62% pricier than other cities
Safety49% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Virginia alone, Stephens City ranks #44 of 117 Virginia cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Stephens City 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 Stephens City near the bottom of Virginia's cities
Among the 619 Virginia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Stephens City ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Stephens City only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#198 of 558
65th percentile in Virginia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 619
0th percentile in Virginia
Median Home Value
#237 of 567
58th percentile in Virginia
Poverty Rate
#347 of 616
43rd percentile in Virginia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#297 of 618
52nd 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
74th percentile nationally for median household income · 49th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Stephens City's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Stephens City'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 Stephens City's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$287,60037th percentilemore affordable than 37% 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
Stephens City's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#6,957 of 15,516
More affordable than 55% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,842 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.1×, Stephens City sits in the moderate band:
national rank #6,957 of 15,516 and #5,842 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$94,250Stephens City, VA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Stephens City, 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 Stephens City, VA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)28.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)77.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,338
Median Income
$94,250
Median Home Value
$287,600
Median Age
35.2
Poverty Rate
4.2%
Labor force participation
77.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
28.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1397.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
46.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1351.4
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.
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Stephens City's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,033 residents
2021
2,078 residents
2022
2,097 residents
2023
2,127 residents
2024
2,169 residents
2025
2,207 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
80.0%
Carpool
9.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.4%
Work from Home
9.1%
Based on 1,388 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 Stephens City. 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 Stephens City 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 Stephens City sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Stephens City 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, 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.