Housing data for Forest, VA
Forest, VA has an estimated 13,430 residents and 5,460 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Bedford County.
24.1% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,315 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+23.9%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 13,430 (±658)
- Housing units
- 5,460 (±290)
- Households that rent
- 24.1%
- Median gross rent
- $1,315
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +23.9%
What stands out in Forest
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 19.2% (±5.2 points) in Forest, higher than in Bedford County (5.3%).
Households that rent: 24.1% (±3.5 points) in Forest, higher than in Bedford County (15.3%).
Households that moved in since 2020: 32.5% (±5.9 points) in Forest, higher than in Bedford County (18.8%).
Median gross rent: $1,315 (±$103) in Forest, higher than in Bedford County ($952).
- Types of homes in Forest
- Renters and owners in Forest
- How long people stay in Forest
- Median rent in Forest
Housing in Forest at a glance
- Median rent: $1,315 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,157 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 51.6% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 24.1% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $81,552 median household income
- Home values: $319,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,543 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,364 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 19.2% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 76.1% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 19.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 4.1% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 94.5% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 21.9 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +23.9% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 32.5% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.8% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Forest against Bedford County, its state and the nation
| Forest | Bedford County | Virginia | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,430 (±658) | 80,894 (exact) | 8,705,170 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 5,460 (±290) | 37,484 (±66) | 3,684,756 (±486) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 24.1% (±3.5 points) | 15.3% (±1.3 points) | 32.7% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,315 (±$103) | $952 (±$48) | $1,579 (±$8) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $81,552 (±$7,145) | $78,937 (±$3,263) | $93,170 (±$458) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $319,800 (±$15,122) | $297,400 (±$9,741) | $383,700 (±$1,024) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,364 (±$75) | $1,285 (±$34) | $2,790 (±$10) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 19.5% (±4.4 points) | 33.0% (±2.4 points) | 43.5% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 21.9 minutes (±2.8) | 26.5 minutes (±1.0) | 27.3 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 92.6% (±3.1 points) | 88.8% (±1.3 points) | 91.0% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 39.2 years (±2.9) | 47.2 years (±0.4) | 39.0 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Forest covers 13.6 square miles of land, about 987 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Forest has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,836 (±639) | 13,430 (±658) | +23.9% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 4,637 (±171) | 5,460 (±290) | +17.7% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $988 (±$86) | $1,315 (±$103) | +33.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $234,500 (±$14,688) | $319,800 (±$15,122) | +36.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $76,367 (±$6,262) | $81,552 (±$7,145) | +6.8% | Down after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,538 (±$129) | $1,543 (±$126) | +0.3% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,225 (±$70) | $1,364 (±$75) | +11.3% | Down after inflation |
| Households that rent | 26.9% (±3.9 points) | 24.1% (±3.5 points) | −2.8 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.4% (±5.3 points) | 4.1% (±6.6 points) | +0.7 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Bedford County
Forest has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Bedford County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Bedford County recorded 112 violent and 574 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Forest
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24551 | 17% | 28,554 | $1,265 | $362,500 | $91,067 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Forest
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timberlake | 4.3 mi | $1,083 | $235,900 | 35.2% |
| Lynchburg | 4.8 mi | $1,073 | $229,800 | 51.1% |
| Madison Heights | 11 mi | $871 | $191,300 | 28.6% |
| Rustburg | 12 mi | $910 | $263,900 | 58.4% |
| Bedford | 13 mi | $828 | $222,500 | 30.8% |
| Concord | 16 mi | $771 | $227,600 | 25.0% |
| Altavista | 17 mi | $910 | $142,900 | 44.7% |
| Amherst | 19 mi | $718 | $220,700 | 29.6% |
Places in Virginia most like Forest
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishersville | $1,483 | $348,900 | $83,671 | 33.8% |
| Glen Allen | $1,804 | $357,200 | $92,723 | 24.1% |
| Stuarts Draft | $1,201 | $294,300 | $79,332 | 21.8% |
| Mechanicsville | $1,724 | $351,000 | $98,595 | 24.5% |
| Chesapeake | $1,586 | $378,400 | $95,373 | 25.6% |
| Brandermill | $1,782 | $376,000 | $107,396 | 30.3% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Virginia.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Forest, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $965 | $971 | $1,117 | $1,547 | $1,678 |
HUD income limits for Forest, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $18,550 | $30,950 | $49,500 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $35,350 | $56,550 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $39,750 | $63,600 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $44,150 | $70,650 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $47,700 | $76,350 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $51,250 | $82,000 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $54,750 | $87,650 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $58,300 | $93,300 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Lynchburg, VA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $88,300.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Forest is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Forest
What is the average rent in Forest, VA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Forest is $1,315 (±$103) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Forest?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Forest, VA is $775 (±$81) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Forest rent-burdened?
51.6% of renting households in Forest pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Forest?
Forest has an estimated 1,292 (±190) renting households, 24.1% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Forest?
The median household income in Forest is $81,552 (±$7,145) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Forest, VA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $319,800 (±$15,122) for owner-occupied homes in Forest (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Forest growing?
In Forest, the number of residents went from 10,836 in 2015–2019 to 13,430 in 2020–2024 (+23.9%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Forest?
The ZIP code that covers Forest is 24551.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 24551?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 24551 is $1,265 (±$115) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest CDP, Virginia
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest CDP, Virginia
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest CDP, Virginia
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest CDP, Virginia
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest CDP, Virginia
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest CDP, Virginia
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest CDP, Virginia
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Lynchburg, VA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Lynchburg, VA MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Forest CDP, Virginia (place:28688, in state:51).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .