Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety40#9,337/15,637
Economy25#11,772/15,631
Housing60#6,048/14,977
Health25#11,776/15,609
Healthcare16#13,181/15,650
Environment75#3,791/15,453
Education58#6,534/15,649
Infrastructure32#10,654/15,650
Community42#9,044/15,651
Leisure & amenities73#4,156/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Onancock, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Accomack County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Restaurants and bars · high15.4 /10k
95/100Virginia 8.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAccomack County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Virginia 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAccomack County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.4 µg/m³
84/100Virginia 7.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAccomack County value
Students per teacher · low12.0×
84/100Virginia 13.4×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsAccomack County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.62%
77/100Virginia 0.78%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
High school diploma or higher · high90.0%
76/100Virginia 91.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Virginia 14.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAccomack County value
Natural hazard risk · high94.6
6/100Virginia 17.92025Federal Emergency Management AgencyAccomack County value
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100Virginia 6.1United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAccomack County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low41.6%
6/100Virginia 83.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAccomack County value
Job growth · low-2.6%
9/100Virginia -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataAccomack County value
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100Virginia 6.6United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAccomack County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,098 (2015-2019) → 1,433 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.2% (2015-2019) → 37.2% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Unemployment rateImproving
14.9% (2015-2019) → 3.0% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
24.1% (2015-2019) → 32.2% (2020-2024)
+8.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
32.8% (2015-2019) → 25.2% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
13.7% (2015-2019) → 7.7% (2020-2024)
−6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Onancock, Virginia improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Bachelor's++5.2 points34.9% → 40.1%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Onancock, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.0 min2015-2019	18.2 min2020-2024	−6.8 min	Within the margin of error	95%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.9%2015-2019	40.1%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Improved	69%
Broadband subscriptions	78.2%2015-2019	82.6%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Effective property tax rate	0.60%2015-2019	0.62%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	13%
High school diploma or higher	91.1%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Home price to income ratio	4.3×2015-2019	5.4×2020-2024	+1.1×	Within the margin of error	19%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5332015-2019	0.4872020-2024	−0.046	Within the margin of error	82%
Median household income	$50,3472015-2019	$54,5002020-2024	+8.2%	Within the margin of error	15%
Poverty rate	15.3%2015-2019	21.4%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Rent as share of income	32.8%2015-2019	25.2%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent-burdened households	55.2%2015-2019	37.2%2020-2024	−18 points	Within the margin of error	92%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Onancock, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Onancock, Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Onancock, Virginia itself moved +9.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,433 residents (±330)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (−6.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,433 residents (±330)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

White54%775
Black38%†541
Hispanic or Latino3.4%†48

Education

1,009 residents (±214)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

No high school diploma10%†101
High school or GED28%†278
Some college15%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

680 households (±148)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k27%†184
$25k–50k17%†117
$50k–75k20%†136
$75k–100k10%†70
$100k–150k9.3%†63
$150k–200k9.4%†64
$200k or more6.8%†46

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+7.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

680 households (±148)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

Own60%411
Rent40%†269

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

250 households (±87)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $75048%†119
$750–1,00013%†32
$1,000–1,50036%†89

Home values

411 homes (±105)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $150k14%†58
$150k–250k29%†120
$250k–400k33%†135

Age of homes

911 homes (±152)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

2010 or later1.5%†14
2000–200913%†120
1980–19996.9%†63

Size of homes

911 homes (±152)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

Studio3.5%†32
1 bedroom7.9%†72
2 bedrooms23%†214

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

522 workers (±177)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone61%†318
Carpool15%†76
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.6%†19
Bike0.0%0
Work from home19%†101
Other1.5%†8

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

421 workers (±169)

Onancock, Virginia
Virginia share

Under 15 min55%†230
15–29 min27%†113
30–44 min13%†56

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Accomack County, the county holding most of Onancock's residents.

Accomack County has 711 employer establishments, 212 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.88× Virginia's), with 9,186 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,303. The Census Bureau also counts 2,662 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 711; 2,662 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 212; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 9,186
Average annual pay: $39,303; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Accomack County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	66	19.7	1.07×About typical	656	$27,500	17
Specialty trade contractors	44	13.1	0.85×About typical	181	$50,691	226
Lessors of real estate	40	11.9	0.97×About typical	112	$40,652	282
Full-service restaurants	36	10.7	1.40×More than typical	388	$27,250	7
Ambulatory health care services	35	10.4	0.50×Fewer than typical	484	$54,281	90
Religious organizations	31	9.3	1.67×More than typical	70	$18,657	—
Gasoline stations	29	8.7	2.67×More than typical	275	$27,702	—
Construction of buildings	28	8.4	1.11×About typical	97	$39,825	117
Traveler accommodation	26	7.8	4.30×More than typical	324	$26,093	11
Limited-service restaurants	22	6.6	0.82×About typical	232	$26,056	5
Building equipment contractors	21	6.3	1.04×About typical	90	$49,000	44
Automotive repair and maintenance	20	6	1.19×About typical	68	$56,353	48

Rank places for an industry Open Accomack County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 33,510 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Onancock, Virginia: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

697.1FY2017
835.8FY2018
366.2FY2019
427.2FY2020
146.2FY2021
584.9FY2023
0FY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Onancock, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Onancock, Virginia's figures are part of those of Accomack County, VA ($117.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Onancock is mostly in Accomack County.

See federal money in Accomack County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Onancock, Virginia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jennifer A. KiggansR-VA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 95%Missed 1.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Accomack County38100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Accomack County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5159336