Tappahannock, Virginia.
Typical home $306,549 (+2.2% in a year). Richmond, VA metro.
to buy the typical home at today's mortgage rate — +$893 (+125%) since Jan 2020.
- 1 year
- Up $6,735 +2%
- $299,814$306,549 since Sep 2025
- 5 years
- Up $58,706 +24%
- $247,843$306,549 since Sep 2021
Monthly payment to buy the typical home
Home value × that month's 30-year mortgage rate, 20% down, principal and interest. This is the line households feel: prices and rates compound each other.
- Tappahannock$1,609
- Virginia$2,164
- United States$1,922
At the last five years' pace, a typical home here doubles in price every 16 years.
Typical home values in Tappahannock, VA rose 2.2% over the past year — faster than the nation's +1.2%.
Living in Tappahannock, Essex County, Virginia
Tappahannock is a town of 2,193 people in Essex County. Half its households earn more than $46,816 a year and half less, against $56,520 across Essex County. Unemployment in Essex County was 4.0% in August 2026, and the county had 0.7% more jobs in 2025 than the year before. The most people in Essex County work in schools and health care, then manufacturing.
Written by AI Claude Sonnet 5.5 wrote this on 23 October 2026 from the figures here, a list of nearby places and what it knows. It can be wrong or out of date.
What it’s like
The place. Tappahannock is a small town on the Rappahannock River and the seat of Essex County. Residents tend to be older than in most places, and household incomes run below the county's, while a typical home is valued well above what those incomes might suggest. Few adults hold a four-year degree, and winters are cold with some snow, while summers turn hot.
Work. Residents work mostly in schools, hospitals and social care, followed by manufacturing, shops, and professional and business services. Walmart, O'Malley Timber Products and Food Lion are among the largest workplaces in Tappahannock. Unemployment across Essex County is a little lower than a year ago, and the number of jobs has edged up slightly.
Things to do. The Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, a protected area, is a short drive away, as is Totuskey Creek. For a longer outing, George Washington Birthplace National Monument is a protected area a longer drive away, and Westmoreland State Park lies in the same direction.
Report a mistake
- 987households
- 15%of adults have a degree
- 6%work from home
What people in Essex County work in
Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Essex County had 3,570 jobs in 2025, 0.7% more than the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Weather through the year
Coldest in January, with highs near 47° and lows near 28°; warmest in July, with highs near 88° and lows near 68°. About 12 inches of snow and 45 inches of rain and melted snow a year.
Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the Warsaw Northwest weather station, 7 miles away (NOAA).
Largest workplaces in Tappahannock
- WalmartWarehouse clubs and supercenters218
- O'Malley Timber ProductsPallet containers, wood or wood and metal combination, manufacturing75
- Food LionGrocery stores62
- Essex Rehab & Care CenterNursing homes57
- Wawa SiteConvenience store34
- Builders FirstSourceOther building material dealers25
- Virginia Department of TransportationHighway repair maintenance22
Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 7 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 493 people in all. Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.
Natural hazards
- HurricanesRelatively high
- Strong windRelatively high
- DroughtRelatively moderate
- Coastal floodingRelatively moderate
- Ice stormsRelatively moderate
- LightningRelatively moderate
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in Tappahannock’s census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively moderate. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Essex County and the Richmond, VA metro.
Tappahannock home values
Zillow measures a city over its municipal boundary. Against the state and national figures, mid-tier homes, smoothed and seasonally adjusted.
- Tappahannock$306,549
- Virginia$412,252
- United States$366,157
Sellers are cutting prices on about 1 in 3 Tappahannock listings — the market is cooling.
When this market ran hot
Each cell is that month's year-on-year home-value growth. Read left to right, top row is the latest year — the 2021–22 band is the boom.
Market heat, inside the city limits
Share of listings with a price cut
The early-warning dial: sellers cut when buyers stop reaching. Rising cuts cool a market months before prices notice.
- Tappahannock30.41%
- United States26.90%
Homes for sale
Active for-sale inventory. More supply hands power to buyers.
- Tappahannock31
New listings per month
Sellers arriving at the market.
- Tappahannock7
Zip codes with a Tappahannock address
A different geography, not a breakdown. The figure above covers the municipality; these zips cover everywhere the Post Office calls Tappahannock — often including townships beyond the city limits. Both come straight from Zillow, and they are not expected to average out.