Harrisonburg composite
49.7 /100
Grade B- · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Harrisonburg vs Lynchburg
Harrisonburg, VA and Lynchburg, VA side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 49.7
- Harrisonburg Life Score
- B-
- Harrisonburg grade
- 56.9
- Lynchburg Life Score
- B+
- Lynchburg grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Harrisonburg scores higher on 3 (wages, safety, childcare) and Lynchburg on 4 (cost of living, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Harrisonburg Lynchburg ◗
cost of living
44
78
wages
39
28
rent
49
66
safety
88
88
schools
25
25
childcare
54
54
environment
47
48
Harrisonburg and Lynchburg differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Harrisonburg has a cost-of-living index of 94.9 vs Lynchburg's 89.4 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $62,347 in Harrisonburg and $60,748 in Lynchburg. A 2-bedroom averages $1,322/mo vs $1,187/mo.
Beyond the headline numbers
Reading the Harrisonburg vs Lynchburg Comparison
The cost gap above compounds fastest through housing: the difference in HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent between Harrisonburg and Lynchburg works out to $1,620 over a year, the largest single line item behind the headline spread.
Adjusted for cost of living rather than compared as nominal dollars, $100,000 earned in Harrisonburg carries the same local purchasing power as $94,173 in Lynchburg - the more honest read than the salary headline above, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 222.8 per 100,000 residents in VA vs 222.8 in VA, with property-crime rates of 1590.1 and 1590.1 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: VA lists 1,869 public schools at a 13.7:1 student-teacher ratio, while VA lists 1,869 schools at 13.7:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $10,445/yr in the Harrisonburg area versus $10,445/yr in Lynchburg - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Harrisonburg and Lynchburg are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Lynchburg composite
56.9 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Environment score gap
0 pts
Lynchburg cleaner, national percentile
Safety score gap
0 pts
Harrisonburg safer, national percentile
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg composite (Grade B-)
Lynchburg
Lynchburg composite (Grade B+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Harrisonburg | Lynchburg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 94.9 | 89.4 |
| Goods | 96.8 | 96.8 |
| Services | 88.5 | 87.8 |
| Rents | 82.3 | 63.9 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Lynchburg gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Harrisonburg?
$
Equivalent in Lynchburg:
$94,173
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Harrisonburg: 94.9, Lynchburg: 89.4, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Harrisonburg | Lynchburg |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,050/mo | $1,027/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,057/mo | $1,033/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,322/mo | $1,187/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,801/mo | $1,635/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,125/mo | $1,750/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Harrisonburg | Lynchburg |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $62,347 | $60,748 |
| Total Employment | 56,170 | 88,410 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Harrisonburg (VA) | Lynchburg (VA) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 222.8 | 222.8 |
| Property Crime | 1590.1 | 1590.1 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | VA | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 1,869 | 1,869 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 13.7:1 | 13.7:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.4% | 0.4% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | VA | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $10,445/yr | $10,445/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $8,194/yr | $8,194/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $7,999/yr | $7,999/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | VA | VA |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 520 | 520 |
| Water Systems | 1,050 | 1,050 |
| Superfund Sites | 35 | 35 |
| Water Violations | 1,933 | 1,933 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Harrisonburg | Lynchburg |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 39.0 | 30.0 |
| Good Air Days | 80.0% | 85.2% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 0 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | VA | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 13/100 | 13/100 |
| Total Violations | 146,670 | 146,670 |
| Health-Based Violations | 25,642 | 25,642 |
| Systems with Violations | 90.0% | 90.0% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | VA | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 73/100 | 73/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 27.0% | 27.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 440 | 440 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | VA | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 85/100 | 85/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 33.3 | 33.3 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 34.1 | 34.1 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Harrisonburg more expensive than Lynchburg? ▼
Harrisonburg has a cost of living index of 94.9 compared to Lynchburg's 89.4 (national average = 100). Harrisonburg is 5.5 points above Lynchburg on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Harrisonburg and Lynchburg? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,322/mo in Harrisonburg vs $1,187/mo in Lynchburg, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,050/mo to $1,027/mo.
How do salaries compare between Harrisonburg and Lynchburg? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $62,347 in Harrisonburg and $60,748 in Lynchburg, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Harrisonburg has the same purchasing power as $94,173 in Lynchburg.
Is Harrisonburg or Lynchburg safer? ▼
At the state level, VA has a violent crime rate of 222.8 per 100,000 residents compared to VA's 222.8 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1590.1 vs 1590.1 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Harrisonburg and Lynchburg? ▼
VA has 1,869 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.7:1, while VA has 1,869 schools at 13.7:1. Charter schools make up 0.4% of VA schools vs 0.4% in VA. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare