Buena Vista, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

6,593

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

35.9

0.829% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

18.8%

14.3% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$57,833

6.2% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$156,200

Population & Diversity

Buena Vista, VA is home to a population of 6.59k people, from which 99.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.865% of Buena Vista, VA residents were born outside of the country (57 people).

In 2024, there were 9.73 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.58k people) in Buena Vista, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 574 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 134 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.7%

2024 Citizenship

100%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.7% of Buena Vista, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Buena Vista, VA was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Buena Vista, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.58k ± 91
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
574 ± 162
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
134 ± 85

0.228%

Hispanic Population

15 people

0.228% of the people in Buena Vista, VA are hispanic (15 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Buena Vista, VA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Virginia.

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
108,778 ± 8,047 people
India
98,440 ± 7,659 people
Mexico
58,677 ± 5,927 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 108,778 Virginia residents, followed by India with 98,440 and Mexico with 58,677.

Foreign-Born Population

0.865%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

57 people

0.423%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

28 people

As of 2024, 0.865% of Buena Vista, VA residents (57 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 Buena Vista, VA was 0.423%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
122 ± 68
Gulf War (1990s)
47 ± 57
Gulf War (2001-)
36 ± 45

Buena Vista, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.6 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Buena Vista, VA.

Economy

The economy of Buena Vista, VA employs 2.82k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Buena Vista, VA were Educational Services (464 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (386 people), and Retail Trade (339 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($147,692), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($129,063), and Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($77,754).

Employment

Occupations

2.82k

2024 Value

± 438

−2.29%

1 Year decline

± 22.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Buena Vista, VA declined at a rate of −2.29%, from 2.89k employees to 2.82k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Buena Vista, VA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (327 people), Management Occupations (291 people), and Personal Care & Service Occupations (267 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Buena Vista, VA.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.82k

2024 Value

± 438

−2.29%

1 Year decline

± 22.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Buena Vista, VA declined at a rate of −2.29%, from 2.89k employees to 2.82k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Buena Vista, VA, are Educational Services (464 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (386 people), and Retail Trade (339 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Buena Vista, VA, though some of these residents may live in Buena Vista, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,808

Median earning men ± $8,638

$34,375

Median earning women ± $6,874

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($148,141), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($77,813), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($66,196).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($128,170), Manufacturing ($52,596), and Public Administration ($37,679).

Education

The student population of Buena Vista, VA in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 497 male students and 439 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Buena Vista, VA are White (148 and 90.2%), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders (6 and 3.66%), Two or More Races (4 and 2.44%), and Black or African American (3 and 1.83%).

The largest universities in Buena Vista, VA by number of degrees awarded are Southern Virginia University (165 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Buena Vista, VA are General Business (34 and 20.6%), General Psychology (23 and 13.9%), and Biochemistry (17 and 10.3%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $20,780.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Buena Vista, VA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 96.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 21.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 936 (53.1% men and 46.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 936 students enrolled in Buena Vista, VA, 53.1% men and 46.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 681 records, of which 53.5% were women and 46.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business
34 degrees awarded
General Psychology
23 degrees awarded
Biochemistry
17 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Buena Vista, VA was General Business with 34 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Buena Vista, VA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Southern Virginia University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

165 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Southern Virginia University with 165 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 76 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Buena Vista, VA, which is 0.854 times less than the 89 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 148 degrees mean that there were 24.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders, with 6 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($20,780) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($250) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,500) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Buena Vista, VA was $156,200 in 2024, which is 0.469 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $153,500 to $156,200, a 1.76% increase. The homeownership rate in Buena Vista, VA is 56.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Buena Vista, VA have an average commute time of 17.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Buena Vista, VA is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$156,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$14,139

$1,443

Median Property Taxes

±$262

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 Buena Vista, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

56.5%

Homeownership

2024

60.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 56.5% of the housing units in Buena Vista, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 57.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Buena Vista, VA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$57,833

Median Household Income

± $8,629

2.55k

Number of Households

± 360

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.55k households in Buena Vista, VA grew to $57,833 from the previous year's value of $54,458.

The following chart displays the households in Buena Vista, 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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Buena Vista, VA is from Virginia.

0.47

2024 Wage GINI in Virginia

0.472

2023 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2024, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.376% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76.6%)
Carpooled (10%)
Worked At Home (8.05%)

In 2024, 76.6% of workers in Buena Vista, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10%) and those who worked at home (8.05%).

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.

Commute Time

17.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Buena Vista, VA have a shorter commute time (17.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.943% of the workforce in Buena Vista, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Buena Vista, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Buena Vista, VA have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

18.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Buena Vista, VA (1.15k out of 6.09k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Buena Vista, VA is White, followed by Two Or More and Other.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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