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 the labor force is 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.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
