Big Stone Gap, VA

Census Place

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2024 Population
5,162
US Senator
Mark Warner
Democratic Party
US Senator
Tim Kaine
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
41
0.243% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
26.2%
12.8% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$54,581
6.9% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$163,000
4.06% 1-year decline
2024 Employed Population
1,426
0.352% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Big Stone Gap, VA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.3% of the residents in Big Stone Gap, VA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Big Stone Gap, VA was $163,000, and the homeownership rate was 63.3%.

Most people in Big Stone Gap, VA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Big Stone Gap, VA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesVirginiaWise County, VABig Stone Gap, VALENOWISCO & Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commissions PUMA, VA

Population & Diversity

Big Stone Gap, VA is home to a population of 5.16k people, from which 99.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.53% of Big Stone Gap, VA residents were born outside of the country (79 people).

In 2024, there were 4.73 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.95k people) in Big Stone Gap, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 835 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 155 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%
2024 Citizenship
99.5%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.3% of Big Stone Gap, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Big Stone Gap, VA was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Big Stone Gap, VA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Big Stone Gap, VA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    3.95k ± 204
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    835 ± 109
  3. Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
    155 ± 184
1.76%
Hispanic Population
91 people

In 2024, there were 4.73 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.95k people) in Big Stone Gap, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 835 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 155 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

1.76% of the people in Big Stone Gap, VA are hispanic (91 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Big Stone Gap, VA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Virginia.
Most Common Origin
  1. El Salvador
    107,827 ± 8,012 people
  2. India
    97,961 ± 7,641 people
  3. Mexico
    63,695 ± 6,173 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 107,827 Virginia residents, followed by India with 97,961 and Mexico with 63,695.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.53%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
79 people
1.89%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
98 people

As of 2024, 1.53% of Big Stone Gap, VA residents (79 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Big Stone Gap, VA was 1.89%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Big Stone Gap, VA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    95 ± 49
  2. Vietnam
    90 ± 65
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    78 ± 85

Big Stone Gap, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.06 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Big Stone Gap, VA.

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Economy

The economy of Big Stone Gap, VA employs 1.43k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Big Stone Gap, VA were Health Care & Social Assistance (339 people), Retail Trade (218 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (199 people), and the highest paying industries were Educational Services ($65,000), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($54,028), and Transportation & Warehousing ($54,028).

Employment

Occupations

1.43k
2024 Value
± 391
0.352%
1 Year growth
± 37%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Big Stone Gap, VA grew at a rate of 0.352%, from 1.42k employees to 1.43k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Big Stone Gap, VA, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (240 people), Management Occupations (214 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (162 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Big Stone Gap, VA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Virginia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

1.43k
2024 Value
± 391
0.352%
1 Year growth
± 37%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Big Stone Gap, VA grew at a rate of 0.352%, from 1.42k employees to 1.43k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Big Stone Gap, VA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (339 people), Retail Trade (218 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (199 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Big Stone Gap, VA, though some of these residents may live in Big Stone Gap, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$52,500
Median earning men ± $41,005
$33,571
Median earning women ± $21,214

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($66,740), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($56,250), and Retail Trade ($27,228).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($43,202), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($42,109), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($18,568).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.
Y-Axis
2.48%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.1M people employed in Virginia. This represents a 2.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Virginia.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Virginia went to Kamala Harris with 51.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.1%), followed by Other (0.905%).

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing the state of Virginia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Virginia is currently represented by 11 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Big Stone Gap, VA. Showing the available data for Virginia.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (51.8%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (46.1%)
    Republican Party
  3. Other (0.905%)
    Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Virginia went to Kamala Harris with 51.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.1%), followed by Other (0.905%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Virginia for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Virginia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.
Mark Warner
Senator from Virginia2
Assumed office on January 3, 2009
Tim Kaine
Senator from Virginia1
Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing Virginia.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Virginia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Big Stone Gap, VA was $163,000 in 2024, which is 0.49 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $169,900 to $163,000, a 4.06% decrease. The homeownership rate in Big Stone Gap, VA is 63.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Big Stone Gap, VA have an average commute time of 18.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Big Stone Gap, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$163,000
Median Property Value 2024
±$8,606
$989
Median Property Taxes
±$263

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Big Stone Gap, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Big Stone Gap, VA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

63.3%
Homeownership
2024
65.1%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 63.3% of the housing units in Big Stone Gap, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 62%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Big Stone Gap, VA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$54,581
Median Household Income
± $6,288
1.56k
Number of Households
± 355

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.56k households in Big Stone Gap, VA grew to $54,581 from the previous year's value of $51,059.

The following chart displays the households in Big Stone Gap, VA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $60k - $75k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Big Stone Gap, VA is from Virginia.
0.472
2023 Wage GINI in Virginia
0.475
2022 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2023, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.472 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.599% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Virginia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Virginia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (75.3%)
  2. Carpooled (9.98%)
  3. Walked (8.92%)

In 2024, 75.3% of workers in Big Stone Gap, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.98%) and those who walked to work (8.92%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

18.7 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Big Stone Gap, VA have a shorter commute time (18.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.31% of the workforce in Big Stone Gap, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Big Stone Gap, VA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Big Stone Gap, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Big Stone Gap, VA have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

26.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Big Stone Gap, VA (981 out of 3.74k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Big Stone Gap, VA is White, followed by Black and Native American.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

95.4% of the population of Big Stone Gap, VA has health coverage, with 25.8% on employee plans, 39.5% on Medicaid, 17.4% on Medicare, 12.1% on non-group plans, and 0.535% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Virginia see 1,341 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,341 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1329 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 379 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 29% under 18 years, 12.8% between 18 and 34 years, 37.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

4.57%
Uninsured
25.8%
Employer Coverage
39.5%
Medicaid
17.4%
Medicare
12.1%
Non-Group
0.535%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Big Stone Gap, VA declined by 13.3% from 5.27% to 4.57%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Big Stone Gap, VA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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