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Cost of living, pay and housing

38.21° N · 78.83° W · GEOID 5135640

Harriston

Augusta County, Virginia · part of the Staunton, VA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

VirginiaHarriston, VAHarristonHarriston

The short answer

Harriston is home to 1,212 people. Median household income is $93,250 a year and median rent is $1,051 a month, 13.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $183,700, about 2.0x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,051
23% below the median place
Median household income
$93,250
16% above the median place
Median home value
$183,700
42% below the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Harriston

  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 186 Virginia places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 160 Virginia places.
  • The median home is worth 2 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 95% of places its size. It is the lowest of 195 Virginia places.
  • The median rent takes only 13.5% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 91% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $191 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 84% of places its size.
01

Moving to Harriston

Augusta County gains about 7.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in3,793
Moved out3,276
Net+517

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Virginia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within VirginiaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$69K
Leavers$60K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Augusta County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Augusta County report $68,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $59,500, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$42,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,051 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,242 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $183,700.
Getting to work
37 minutes each way on average; 7.3% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Somerdale, NJ matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6
7.9
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureHarristonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure7.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$68,9252% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$59,53115% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 0.0%, below the median place (median 7.1%).

Harriston13.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$42,040
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.5%
34% below the median place
Home price to income
2.0x
48% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
14%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$83,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Harriston, $1,051 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Harriston.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Harriston? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,099
66% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,242
34% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureHarristonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,05123% below
Rent to income113.5%34% below
Property tax rate10.6%34% below
Home price to income12.0x48% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure91.110% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,19926% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,09966% below
Median home value1$183,70042% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure6.8%112% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure53.3%3% above
Homeownership178.0%17% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure44.1%13% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,24234% below
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119860% above
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
37 min
49% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureHarristonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$93,25016% above
Income per person1$33,91715% below
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay5County figure$61,3087% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.0%19% below
Jobs5County figure31,23579% below
Poverty rate1County figure6.6%38% below
Mean commute137 min49% above
Works from home1County figure7.3%41% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Homes with broadband1
84.1%
9% below the median place
Household size1
2.9
15% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureHarristonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,2126646th largest
Median age142.910% above
Bachelor's or higher1County figure25.1%22% below
High school or higher191.2%1% below
Household size12.915% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure6.6%3% above
Homes with broadband184.1%9% below
05

Life in Harriston

60 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars9.7 −53%
Shops21.3 −30%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.3 −68%
Doctors' offices and clinics10.1 −50%
Child care centers1.0 −57%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Restaurants and bars per 10k7
9.7
53% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
1.3
68% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k7
1.0
57% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureHarristonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure24167% above
Public school students10County figure10,130107% above
Students per teacher10County figure14.18% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure9.753% below
Shops per 10k7County figure21.330% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure1.368% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure10.150% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure1.057% below
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k80.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure60362% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 52.8, 41% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Harriston. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk12
52.8
41% below the median place
Tornado risk12
34.1
58% below the median place
Natural hazard risk12
68.6
26% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureHarristonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure84°F4% below
January average low11County figure24°F6% below
Average temperature11County figure53°F3% below
Annual precipitation11County figure43.4 in1% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure68.626% below
Hurricane risk12County figure79.212% above
Tornado risk12County figure34.158% below
Wildfire risk12County figure72.018% above
Heat wave risk12County figure52.841% below
08

Harriston in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$93,250 (2024)$118,000$100,000 to $140,000+4.0%
Median home value$183,700 (2024)$236,000$172,000 to $326,000+4.3%

The median home would be worth 2.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.0 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Harriston

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Somerdale, NJ$1,097$85,625Compare
Northampton, PA$1,174$90,762Compare
Fort Shawnee, OH$1,035$90,491Compare
East End, AR$1,071$87,936Compare
East End, ARFort Shawnee, OHNorthampton, PASomerdale, NJHarriston, VAHarristonNorthamptonFort ShawneeEast EndHarristonNorthamptonFort ShawneeEast End

Common questions

Is Harriston a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 186 Virginia places. Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 160 Virginia places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Harriston expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $183,700.

What salary do you need to live in Harriston?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $42,040 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Harriston?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Somerdale, NJ, Northampton, PA, Fort Shawnee, OH and East End, AR.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Harriston with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Harriston itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/harriston-virginia

Citytistics. “Harriston, Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/harriston-virginia/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.