Galax, VA

Census Place

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2024 Population
6,726
US Senator
Mark Warner
Democratic Party
US Senator
Tim Kaine
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
42.9
2.39% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
31.1%
33% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$38,675
6.67% 1-year decline
2024 Median Property Value
$141,300
11.4% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
2,795
1.41% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Galax, 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.

97% of the residents in Galax, VA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Galax, VA was $141,300, and the homeownership rate was 56.3%.

Most people in Galax, VA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Galax, VA was 2 cars per household.

Population & Diversity

Galax, VA is home to a population of 6.73k people, from which 97% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.49% of Galax, VA residents were born outside of the country (369 people).

In 2024, there were 11 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.17k people) in Galax, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 471 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 331 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

97%
2024 Citizenship
96.8%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97% of Galax, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Galax, VA was 96.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Galax, VA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    5.17k ± 286
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    471 ± 154
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    331 ± 140
14.1%
Hispanic Population
950 people

In 2024, there were 11 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.17k people) in Galax, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 471 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 331 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

14.1% of the people in Galax, VA are hispanic (950 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Galax, 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

5.49%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
369 people
5.61%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
376 people

As of 2024, 5.49% of Galax, VA residents (369 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 Galax, VA was 5.61%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    177 ± 145
  2. Vietnam
    124 ± 60
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    20 ± 30

Galax, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.43 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Galax, VA employs 2.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Galax, VA were Retail Trade (521 people), Manufacturing (377 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (360 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($61,776), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($60,074), and Wholesale Trade ($58,214).

Occupations

2.8k
2024 Value
± 438
−1.41%
1 Year decline
± 21.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Galax, VA declined at a rate of −1.41%, from 2.84k employees to 2.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Galax, VA, are Sales & Related Occupations (594 people), Management Occupations (297 people), and Production Occupations (267 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Galax, 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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Employment by Industries

2.8k
2024 Value
± 438
−1.41%
1 Year decline
± 21.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Galax, VA declined at a rate of −1.41%, from 2.84k employees to 2.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Galax, VA, are Retail Trade (521 people), Manufacturing (377 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (360 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Galax, VA, though some of these residents may live in Galax, 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

$47,263
Median earning men ± $8,500
$30,318
Median earning women ± $7,241

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($62,303), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($61,509), and Manufacturing ($47,013).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($48,885), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($38,568), and Public Administration ($36,833).

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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.

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 Galax, VA was $141,300 in 2024, which is 0.425 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $126,800 to $141,300, a 11.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Galax, VA is 56.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Galax, VA have an average commute time of 22.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Galax, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Property

$141,300
Median Property Value 2024
±$23,066
$1,556
Median Property Taxes
±$267

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

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

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Rent vs Own

56.3%
Homeownership
2024
58%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 56.3% of the housing units in Galax, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 61.6%.

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

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Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$38,675
Median Household Income
± $8,836
2.76k
Number of Households
± 394

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.76k households in Galax, VA declined from $38,675 from the previous year's value of $41,438.

The following chart displays the households in Galax, 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 < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Galax, 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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Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (83.4%)
  2. Carpooled (10.6%)
  3. Worked At Home (5.8%)

In 2024, 83.4% of workers in Galax, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.6%) and those who worked at home (5.8%).

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

22.6 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Galax, VA have a shorter commute time (22.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.42% of the workforce in Galax, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Galax, 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 Galax, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Galax, VA have 2 cars.

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Poverty & Diversity

31.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Galax, VA (2.02k out of 6.5k 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 55 - 64, followed by Males 45 - 54 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Galax, VA is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

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

93.2% of the population of Galax, VA has health coverage, with 27.5% on employee plans, 32.4% on Medicaid, 15% on Medicare, 12.9% on non-group plans, and 5.43% 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, 44.8% were men and 55.2% were women.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.8% under 18 years, 16.9% between 18 and 34 years, 38.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 44.8% were men and 55.2% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

6.75%
Uninsured
27.5%
Employer Coverage
32.4%
Medicaid
15%
Medicare
12.9%
Non-Group
5.43%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Galax, VA declined by 8.41% from 7.37% to 6.75%.

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

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