Virginiaincome tax up to 5.75%, 21st lowest property tax, median home $390K

Worth knowing before you move to Virginia

Virginia has a graduated income tax with a 5.75% top rate that begins at just $17,000 of income, so most residents pay near the top rate. It does not tax Social Security and allows an age deduction of up to $12,000 for residents 65 and over. Northern Virginia's federal and defense economy produces incomes closer to the Washington suburbs of Maryland than to the rest of the state. Localities levy annual property tax on vehicles.

What Virginia taxes, and what it doesn't

Virginia levies a graduated income tax that tops out at 5.75%. A household earning $75,000 pays an effective 5.4%, about $4,055 a year; at $150,000 the effective rate is 5.6%. Among the 41 states that tax income, Virginia has the 8th highest effective rate at $100,000 of income.

Property tax runs 0.74% of home value a year, roughly $2,886 on the state's median home of $390K. The national effective rate is about 1.10%, and Virginia has the 21st lowest rate of the 50 states.

Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.73%, the 10th lowest in the country (the state portion is 4.3%).

For retirees: Social Security benefits are not taxed, pension income is partly exempt, and there is no estate or inheritance tax.

Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income.

Housing and the cost of living in Virginia

Virginia's cost of living index is 102, where 100 is the national average; that is the 20th most expensive of the 50 states.

The median home costs $390K, 29% above the national figure and the 19th highest among the states. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month.

Carrying costs matter as much as the price: home insurance averages $1,200 a year, flood coverage adds about $850 where it is needed, car insurance runs $1,380.

Budget $140 a month for electricity and gas, $530 a month in groceries for two, $1,550 a month for full-time infant care.

Safety, health and schools

Violent crime is 197 incidents per 100,000 residents in the FBI's 2023 Crime Data Explorer figures, below the median state (387); Virginia is the 4th safest of the 50 by that measure. Property crime is 1,617 per 100,000.

Life expectancy is 77.9 years (County Health Rankings 2024). 8.1% of residents have no health insurance, and the state has expanded Medicaid. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Virginia's health system 16th of 50.

Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks K-12 schools 10th in the country.

Politics, guns and social policy

Politically, Virginia is a competitive state that went to Harris by 3 points in 2024.

On guns, concealed-carry permits are shall-issue, and Giffords grades the state's gun laws A-.

Abortion is legal with limits. Marijuana is legal for adults. Virginia is a right-to-work state, and the minimum wage is $12.00 an hour.

Climate, risk and getting around

Natural disaster risk is moderate. The main hazards are hurricane, flood, nor-easter. Annual average air quality index is 37 (under 50 is good).

Virginia has a major hub airport, with about 115 nonstop destinations from its busiest airport.