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Moving to
Laurel.
Laurel is an unincorporated community in Henrico County, VA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Laurel
Laurel is an unincorporated community in Virginia with home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Laurel deals with a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- High rent burden for renters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Laurel compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Laurel
Based on Laurel's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,232
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $64,640 a year
- 54% of Laurel renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$56,720
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $28,360
- Homes cost 3.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 14% above US
$1,616/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,616 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $283,600. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $283,600 · 54% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.3% county unemployment
Unemployment in Henrico County is 3.3%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Henrico County (county-wide)
Safety
159 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Laurel doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Henrico County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1806/100k · Policed by Henrico County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 29°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 17% below US
30% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 30%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Maggie L Walker National Historic Site (7 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Laurel's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and county unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city. A year of median rent ($1,616/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low) and remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Laurel
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