CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

38.08° N · 78.47° W · GEOID 5167288

Rio

Albemarle County, Virginia · part of the Charlottesville, VA metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_home_value

VirginiaRio, VARioRio

The short answer

Rio is home to 1,252 people. Median household income is $56,250 a year and median rent is $1,688 a month, 36.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $495,400, about 8.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,688
24% above the median place
Median household income
$56,250
30% below the median place
Median home value
$495,400
55% above the median place
Unemployment
3.4%
30% below the median place

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 Rio

  • Households average 1.64 people, smaller than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 195 Virginia places.
  • The median rent takes 36.0% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 195 Virginia places.
  • The median home is worth 8.8 years of the median household's income, more than in 97% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 195 Virginia places.
  • 72% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 94% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 181 Virginia places.
  • Half the homes were built after 2008, newer housing than in 97% of places its size.
01

Moving to Rio

Albemarle County gains about 6.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in8,364
Moved out7,767
Net+597

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Greene County, VA209344−135
Louisa County, VA124175−51

Within Virginia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within VirginiaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$101K
Leavers$97K

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

Who moves here
38.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 5.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Albemarle County report $100,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $96,600.
Income you would need
$67,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,688 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,309 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $495,400.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 21.7% work from home; 1.2% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Oak Harbor, WA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
38.2%
above the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
5.5%
177% above the median place
Income of households moving out6
$96,606
37% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureRioAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year138.2%above (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1County figure5.5%177% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure6.4above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$100,62443% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$96,60637% above
02

What it costs to live here

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

Rio36.0%
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
$67,520
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
36.0%
76% above the median place
Home price to income
8.8x
132% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
36%
over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$36,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Rio, $1,688 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.5 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 Rio.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Rio? 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%)
Median year built1
2008
2% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
71.9%
42% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureRioAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,68824% above
Rent to income136.0%76% above
Property tax rate10.8%18% below
Home price to income18.8x132% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure99.22% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,6422% above
Property tax paid (median)1County figure$3,71914% above
Median home value1County figure$495,40055% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.5%73% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure49.2%5% below
Homeownership1County figure65.9%1% below
Renters paying 30%+171.9%42% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1County figure$2,30923% above
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built120082% above
03

Work and pay

Poverty rate is 22.2%, 106% above the median place.

Poverty rate1
22.2%
106% above the median place
Median household income1
$56,250
30% below the median place
Mean commute1
21 min
16% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureRioAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$56,25030% below
Income per person1$36,05510% below
Unemployment1County figure3.4%30% below
Average annual pay5County figure$74,90214% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure2.8%24% below
Jobs5County figure65,49457% below
Poverty rate122.2%106% above
Mean commute121 min16% below
Works from home1County figure21.7%74% above
Commutes by transit1County figure1.2%39% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 1.6, 34% below the median place.

Household size1
1.6
34% below the median place
Median age1
28.6
27% below the median place
High school or higher1
81.0%
12% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Born abroad14.6% +66%
Homes with broadband93.7% +2%
Bachelor's or higher31.2% −3%
All 8 people measures
MeasureRioAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,2526646th largest
Median age128.627% below
Bachelor's or higher131.2%3% below
High school or higher181.0%12% below
Household size11.634% below
Born abroad114.6%66% above
No health insurance1County figure5.9%8% below
Homes with broadband193.7%2% above
05

Life in Rio

102 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 10k79.9 8.5×
Grocery stores per 10k24.0 11.3×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k135.8 12.2×
Libraries per 10k16.0 18.4×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi8.1 38.5×

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 bars16.2 −22%
Shops27.9 −8%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.5 +34%
Doctors' offices and clinics28.6 +42%
Child care centers2.5 +9%

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

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7
28.6
42% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
16.2
22% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
5.5
34% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureRioAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure26189% above
Public school students10County figure13,438174% above
Students per teacher10County figure14.09% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure16.222% below
Shops per 10k7County figure27.98% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure5.534% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure28.642% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.59% above
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k879.9above (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k824.0above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k8135.8above (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k816.0above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi88.1above (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure102above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Median air quality index is 38, 12% 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 Rio. Larger places are fetched first.

Median air quality index13
38
12% below the median place
Tornado risk12
52.2
36% below the median place
Heat wave risk12
69.2
23% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureRioAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure87°F0% above
January average low11County figure26°F3% above
Average temperature11County figure56°F2% above
Annual precipitation11County figure45.0 in3% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure78.215% below
Hurricane risk12County figure82.617% above
Tornado risk12County figure52.236% below
Wildfire risk12County figure64.35% above
Heat wave risk12County figure69.223% below
Median air quality index13County figure3812% below
Good air days13County figure81.0%18% above
08

Rio in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 37% of the median income in 2030, up from 36% now.

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 rent$1,688/mo (2024)$2,170/mo$1,780 to $2,650/mo+4.3%
Median household income$56,250 (2024)$70,000$59,000 to $83,000+3.7%

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

09

Places like Rio

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

PlaceRentIncome
Oak Harbor, WA$1,645$76,084Compare
Wimauma, FL$1,384$68,274Compare
South Salt Lake, UT$1,451$72,152Compare
Homestead, FL$1,674$65,423Compare
Homestead, FLSouth Salt Lake, UTWimauma, FLOak Harbor, WARio, VARioOak HarborWimaumaSouth Salt LakeHomesteadRioOak HarborWimaumaSouth Salt LakeHomestead

Common questions

Is Rio a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Households average 1.64 people, smaller than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 195 Virginia places. The median rent takes 36.0% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 195 Virginia places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Rio expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 36.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $495,400.

What salary do you need to live in Rio?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $67,520 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Rio?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Oak Harbor, WA, Wimauma, FL, South Salt Lake, UT and Homestead, FL.

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
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

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

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

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