Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Virginia instead of New York, you would:
Health
be 18.1% more likely to be obese
In New York, 29.9% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Virginia, that number is 35.3% of people as of 2022.
be 13.9% more likely to have diabetes
In New York, 10.1% of adults have diabetes as of 2022. In Virginia, that number is 11.5% as of 2022.
Economy
be 22.7% less likely to be unemployed
In New York, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Virginia, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.
be 29.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In New York, 13.3% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Virginia, however, that number is 9.4% as of 2023.
make 24.9% less money
New York has a GDP per capita of $91,992 as of 2024, while in Virginia, the GDP per capita is $69,111 as of 2024.
Safety
be 39.2% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
New York has a violent crime rate of 381 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 232 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 10.5% less for a home
The median home value in New York is $403,000 as of 2023, compared to $360,700 in Virginia as of 2023.
be 23.8% more likely to own your home
In New York, 54.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 67.2% as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 5.2 minutes less
The average one-way commute in New York takes 32.8 minutes as of 2023. In Virginia, it takes 27.6 minutes as of 2023.
be 15.9% less likely to be physically inactive
In New York, 25.1% of adults are physically inactive as of 2022. In Virginia, that number is 21.1% as of 2022.
live in an area that is 47.2% less densely populated
New York has a population density of 161.4 people per sq km as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 85.2 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 30.1% less likely to be food insecure
In New York, 11.3% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Virginia, that number is 7.9% as of 2021.
be 34.0% more likely to be uninsured
In New York, 5.0% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 6.7% as of 2023.
be 39.6% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In New York, 9.1% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Feeding America, OECD Regional Demography, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
