county

Smyth County, VA

Demographic and economic profile of Smyth County, VA, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Smyth County is a small rural county in southwest Virginia with a population of 29,585 that has contracted 4.7% over five years, reflecting broader regional demographic trends. The labor force participation rate is 50.4%, unemployment sits at 3.0%, and only 18.1% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, pointing to a workforce that skews toward trade and production occupations at relatively low wage costs—median worker earnings run $36,183. Housing costs are among the lowest measurable, with a median home value of $125,800 and median gross rent of $692/month, though a 16.5% poverty rate and median household income of $49,883 signal constrained consumer demand locally.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

29,585

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$49,883

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

46.4 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-4.7% since 2018

Smyth County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone27,843 (94.6%)
  • Black or African American Alone628 (2.1%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races506 (1.7%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race266 (0.9%)
  • Some Other Race Alone126 (0.4%)
  • Asian Alone23 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish420
  2. 2.Other Indo-European68
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)25
  4. 4.German or other West Germanic24
  5. 5.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic15

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

19.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

57.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

22.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.4%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,640

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$36,442

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$29,369

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

16.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance3,061
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)2,635
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)1,565
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services814
  5. 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services808

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations3,437
  2. 2.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations3,157
  3. 3.Service Occupations2,043
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations2,015
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations1,192

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Manufacturing (LQ 2.16×)2,583
  2. 2.Wholesale Trade (LQ 1.27×)351
  3. 3.Retail Trade (LQ 1.17×)1,533
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.10×)3,095
  5. 5.Public Administration (LQ 1.06×)601

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$125,800

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$692/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

71.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,999979 (10.9%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999906 (10.1%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999895 (10.0%)
  • $125,000 to $149,999705 (7.8%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999688 (7.7%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999649 (7.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

18.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

86.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

50.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$36,183

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

22.2 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

6.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone9,681 (82.8%)
  • Carpooled1,108 (9.5%)
  • Worked At Home709 (6.1%)
  • Other89 (0.8%)
  • Walked68 (0.6%)
  • Bicycle19 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.