Compare all U.S. Virgin Islands islands

U.S. citizen — no visa required: U.S. citizens may live and work in the USVI without additional immigration paperwork. Territory tax benefits (Form 8898) may apply for bona fide residents.

U.S. citizen — no visa required: Same as territory-wide rules. Note: limited rental inventory and higher COL than St Thomas or St Croix.

U.S. citizen — no visa required: U.S. citizens may live and work freely. St Croix offers lower housing costs and the territory's only refinery-adjacent industrial economy (diversifying post-2021).

Antilles School; All Saints Cathedral School; Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School

Julius E. Sprauve School (public); Gifft Hill School (private)

Good Hope Country Day School; St. Croix Educational Complex (public high school); The Manor School

USVI Head Start / Early Head Start (St Thomas sites); Antilles School; All Saints Cathedral School

Gifft Hill School (private)

USVI Head Start / Early Head Start (St Croix sites); Good Hope Country Day School; The Manor School

University of the Virgin Islands

None documented on island

University of the Virgin Islands

42,259

3,881

41,004

Yes — full hospital on island

No full hospital on island — Nearest full hospital on St Thomas (20 min ferry)

Yes — full hospital on island

Full-service hospital on island (Schneider Regional). Complex specialty care and some trauma cases may require airlift to San Juan, Puerto Rico or mainland U.S.

Urgent/primary clinic only (Myrah Keating Smith). No full hospital — emergencies typically evacuated by ferry or air to St Thomas (Schneider Regional) or San Juan.

Full hospital on island (Juan F. Luis). Complex cases may transfer to San Juan or mainland.

$1,605/mo (HUD 2BR FMR FY2025)

$2,178/mo (HUD 2BR FMR FY2025)

$1,387/mo (HUD 2BR FMR FY2025)

15–30% above mainland U.S. average

25–40% above mainland U.S. (fewer stores, ferry freight)

10–25% above mainland U.S. average

Moderate–high; most goods imported. Highest COL of the three USVI islands.

Highest of USVI trio — ~60% of island is national park; limited developable land drives housing costs.

Lowest of the three USVI islands; more land, larger grocery selection than St John.

Yes

No

Yes

100–500 Mbps (fiber in town areas; varies by address)

25–100 Mbps (DSL/cable; fiber limited)

100–500 Mbps (fiber in Christiansted/Frederiksted areas)

High — Atlantic hurricane season (Jun–Nov). Direct hits possible; infrastructure rebuilt after 2017 storms.

High — exposed, less infrastructure redundancy than St Thomas. Irma/Maria caused extended outages (2017).

High — south of St Thomas/St John; Maria caused significant damage (2017). Season Jun–Nov.

Recommended — steep hills, limited public transit outside Charlotte Amalie

Essential — no public transit; steep roads; taxi from Cruz Bay only

Recommended — island is larger (28×15 mi); limited public transit

U.S. citizens: no restrictions. Non-U.S. citizens: subject to U.S. federal immigration status; no additional territory restriction on ownership for lawful residents.

Same as USVI territory rules. Additional scrutiny on hillside/national park-adjacent parcels.

U.S. citizens: no restrictions. Non-U.S. citizens: U.S. federal immigration rules apply.

Youngest USVI island — median age ~39 (2010 island district); Charlotte Amalie urban core attracts working-age service workers.

Older median age than St Thomas — affluent retirees and seasonal residents; smaller year-round school-age cohort.

Largest island population; median age ~41; more families than St John, steadier school enrollment in Christiansted/Frederiksted.

~71% Black, ~14% White, higher Hispanic/Latino share than St John due to port and tourism economy.

~78% White (highest in territory), ~11% Black, ~6% Asian or multiracial — wealthy mainland U.S. in-migration to Cruz Bay corridor.

~79% Black (highest share in territory), ~13% White, Crucian cultural identity distinct from St Thomas.

Protestant majority with active Baptist and Anglican congregations; Catholic minority; cruise-ship port brings diverse visitors.

Protestant and Catholic congregations; national-park community with lower church density than St Thomas.

~59% Protestant, ~34% Catholic — strong Catholic presence linked to historic Danish colonial influence.

Same USVI mirror brackets as territory-wide. BIR filing required for territorial residents. Federal EITC and child credits mirror U.S. where applicable.

USVI mirror of U.S. federal brackets. St John residents file with BIR; no separate island surcharge.

USVI mirror of U.S. federal brackets. Largest USVI island — same territorial tax code as St Thomas/St John.

St John (20 min) — Varlack Ventures / Transportation Services; St Croix (90 min (inter-island)) — Seaborne Airlines / ferry operators

St Thomas (20 min) — Varlack Ventures / Transportation Services

St Thomas (90 min (inter-island)) — Seaborne Airlines / ferry operators