Lynchburg vs Charlottesville
The short version
- Lynchburg is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Charlottesville area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $229,800 in Lynchburg and $486,700 in Charlottesville.
- Households earn more in Charlottesville ($74,824 vs $57,947 median).
- Lynchburg is growing faster: +3% since 2020 vs -4.6%.
Side by side
| Lynchburg, VA | Charlottesville, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 81,347 | 44,388 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3% | -4.6% |
| People per square mile | 1,663 | 4,333 |
| Median age | 28.6 | 33.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 63% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $57,947 | $74,824 |
| Median home value | $229,800 | $486,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.0× | 6.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,073 | $1,540 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 89.4 | 99.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 63.9 | 107.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,000 | $74,400 |
| Homeowners | 49% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 16.8 | 17.0 |
| Work from home | 14% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 3.7% |
| Poverty rate | 18.6% | 19.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 46° / 26° | 44° / 28° |
| July high / low | 87° / 65° | 84° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 43 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 12 in | 17 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 27 | 10 |
| Nights below freezing | 94 | 73 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Very Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 49.3 | 24.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 81% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.2% | +46.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Lynchburg: April to June and August to October. Charlottesville: April, June, August and October.
Full monthly tables: Lynchburg weather by month and Charlottesville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,000 in Lynchburg and $74,400 in Charlottesville. Moving from Lynchburg to Charlottesville, you would need about $83,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.