Best Zip Codes for Home Purchases
- Adam Garrett
- Jan 17, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 14
Below I go over how to find the best zip codes for home purchases, highlighting resources from Niche, zip code visual maps, etc. I also share how some information on zipcodes is purchaseable and available in some cases to real estate agents like myself who purchase it (as well as those agents' clients) but not authorized by the merchants to be displayed publicly online.
Image courtesy Niche
Niche Rankings for Best Zip Codes to Buy a House
I share the following in another article:
"If you'd prefer to have a composite model for "best" by zipcode, Niche has done that for you, but their "best" vs your "best" are likely to be very different. Also, even their A+ zipcodes can have some properties requiring flood insurance for any mortgage (which can be a few hundred dollars per year or more than a few thousand dollars per year), which just goes to show you that even when broken down by zipcode, it's still critical to look at the individual property area & to not rely exclusively on a search. Likewise, I see examples in SE VA where 1 A+ zipcode has less than half the real estate tax rate vs another A+ zipcode, but a property in a C+ zip code has lower tax rates than both & lower price per square foot cost, which is attractive to many.
Also, it's best to Zoom in relatively close with Niche's "best" zipcodes. For instance, if looking throughout SE VA, you can actually see some zip codes that are rated B when A+'s on the same map are invisible simply because you're not zoomed in enough."
You can search by map view if desired and shift to list view with the top zip code at the top for that search area. Keep in mind though that their numerically ranked "best" in that search could have a lower letter score than their own "Overall Niche Grade", i.e. the A+ ranked #2102 vs an A- ranked #1960
US Zip Code Map for Visual Map of Zip Codes
The resource I like the most for getting a visual of zip codes is at randymajors.org
It's like Google Maps, except with zip code boundaries. You can zoom in and out readily like you can in Google Maps.
Zip Code Data in Spreadsheet Form (Clients Only Due to No Public Licensing Available)
I have data I've purchased that is freely accessible to my own clients, and there are options to purchase data directly from where I've purchased data that don't allow to me display that data publicly. Here are some of the sources where zip code data is available for purchase as well as limited free information available for download:
Simple Maps data as well as paid versions that include much more.
EverythingbyZipcode for a $99 purchase in CSV form that doesn't include crime but includes education, employment status, health, house built date, house monthly cost, house value, income, poverty, rent amount, work commute, & more.
If you are my client, ask for a spreadsheet of information specific to VA zip codes regarding housing. When using the spreadsheet, you can navigate via regions (see tabs at bottom) etc. in VA, with a focus on Central & Eastern VA:
Related:
City-Data for US Zip Code Map for Visual Map of Median Household Income & Many Other Stats by State, County, Zip Code, Tracts, & Block Groups
The parameters for this map with City-Data.com adjust the further you zoom in. Some data is viewable at one level and not at others. The data below is viewable by the following depending on how far you zoom in:
states
county
zip code
tracts
block groups
Some of the most important data pertinent to purchasing, including living costs, housing values & appreciation include:
Unemployment %
Population Density
Living Costs: Cost of Living Index
Living Costs: Median Gross Rent
House or Condo Value: Median
House or Condo Value: by units in structure - 1 detached
House or Condo Value: by units in structure - 1 attached
Travel Time to Work: Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes)
Household Size: Household Density (households/square mile)
Air Pollution - Air Quality Index
Crime - City-Data.com Crime Index
Images courtesy City Data
Distressed Communities Index for Composite Scores Based on US Zip Code Map for Visual Map of Median Income & Many Other Stats in 1 Composite Score by State, District, County/City, & Zip Code
This composite index is excellent and a good addition to a buyer's options for narrowing down potential locations to purchase by a composite index that covers:
No high school diploma
Poverty rate
Adults 25-54 not working
Housing vacancy rate
Median household income ratio (compared to metro area or state)
Change in employment (over 5 yrs)
Change in business establishments (over 5 years)
Like Zillow, their best and your best could be very different.
Per 2A of the free Data License Agreement of EIG, this data is an example where it's possible as of 10/14/25 for real estate agents to freely use it internally for clients, but where the cost to put a public facing version of it is $2k and still limited in various regards.
VA Zip Codes w/ Highest Cost & Lowest Cost Homes
I've created the following article on the subject that goes into far more than the limited information below:
Where to Find Home Price Area Differences
This resource from United States Zipcodes starts with the 50 lowest cost zip codes, followed by the 50 highest cost zip codes.
The 50 highest-price zip codes are primarily in northern Virginia near DC, with zip codes starting with 22 or 20. The only exception in SE VA is 23398, Jamesville, on the Eastern Shore.
Among zip codes in SE VA, the following lowest-cost zip codes are notable as of 1/17/24 on UnitedStatesZipCodes.org:
Rank in VA | Zip Code | Region in SE VA | County in SE VA | Town | Median Home Value | Median Household Income | People/ Sq Mile |
2 | Eastern Shore | Accomack | Oak Hall | $38,900 | $53,150 | 65 | |
44 | Emporia | Brunswick | Lawrenceville | $109.200 | $35,109 | 61 | |
45 | Richmond | Richmond City | < | $111,500 | $33,141 | 2869 | |
47 | Peninsula | Newport News | < | $113,100 | $27,897 | 4210 |
Zip Codes in Central & Eastern VA 1st 3 Digits by Region: 224-225; 230-238
Eastern Shore: 233-234
Northern Neck: 224-225
Middle Peninsula W: 230-231; 224-225 -Essex County & NW
Middle Peninsula E: 230-231 -Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex
Petersburg: 238
Richmond: 230-232
Peninsula E of Williamsburg: 236
South Side: 234-238
Williamsburg/James City County: 230-231
VA Zip Codes w/ Highest Cost Homes
This resource from United States Zipcodes starts with the 50 lowest cost zip codes, followed by the 50 highest cost zip codes.
Among zip codes in SE VA, the following are notable as of 1/17/24 on UnitedStatesZipCodes.org:
23398
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