What it's like to live in Hopewell
Hopewell is a small city in Virginia with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Hopewell deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Above-average rainfall
How Hopewell compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Hopewell
Based on Hopewell's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,212
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $44,240 a year
- 51% of Hopewell renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$36,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,160
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 22% below US
$1,106/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,106 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $181,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $181,600 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.6% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.6%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 20% above US
395 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1412/100k · Hopewell Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 88°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 33°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 62% below US
14% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Petersburg National Battlefield (12 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Hopewell's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,106/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget.
Other places near Hopewell
All Virginia guides →Moving to Colonial Heights →
6 mi away · pop. 18,352
Rent $1,234/mo · Income $76,505
Compare with Hopewell →Moving to Meadowbrook →
14 mi away · pop. 20,749
Rent $1,583/mo · Income $86,054
Compare with Hopewell →Not sure Hopewell is the one?
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