Smyth County, Virginia
Population 29,420 · Marion, Saltville, Chilhowie
- Overall cost of living: −11.6% vs the US average, lower than 50% of US counties.
- Life expectancy: 70.9 yrs, lower than 91% of US counties.
- Median household income: $49,883, lower than 88% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11.6% | lower than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Virginia outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $139,600 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Median rent | $731 | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $177/mo | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,389/yr | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.58% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 5.3% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.75% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $805 | lower than 86% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $49,883 | lower than 88% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -3.8% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 274.1 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈193 days | lower than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 82°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| January low | 23°F | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈8 in | lower than 57% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Trout Dale 3 SSE, VA, 15 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈10 days | lower than 81% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Saltville 1N, VA, 12 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈121 days | higher than 57% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Saltville 1N, VA, 12 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 5.5% of weeks | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈61.4°F | lower than 61% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 46 in | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $119/yr | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $107/yr | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $1.6/yr | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $4.5/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $1.6/yr | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.11/yr | lower than 68% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.7 µg/m³ | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 257.1 mi | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈2,533.4 ft | higher than 87% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 86.8% | lower than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 16.8% | lower than 78% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 6.3% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 11.3:1 | lower than 84% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 92% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.7 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.07 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.5 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 48/100k | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 5 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 70.9 yrs | lower than 91% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 8.2% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 223/100k | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 58/100k | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 33.6/100k | higher than 86% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 78.8% | higher than 74% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 77 min | higher than 77% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 160 min | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 22 min | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 80.2% | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 6.1% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 121 min | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 14 per sq mi | lower than 63% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2 per 1k | higher than 49% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 8.3 per 1k | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Population | 29,420 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Median age | 46.4 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +3.4 per 1k/yr | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 19.5% Dem | lower than 75% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 79.9% Rep | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.7% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % White | 93.4% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 2.1% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Black | 2% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.1% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.2% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.1% | lower than 67% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 119 parks | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 12.6 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 24 min | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.3% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 13 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 647 km | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 7 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 13 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 14 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 9 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 15 km | higher than 56% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data