South Boston, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

7,853

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

44.2

2.86% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

26.9%

2.18% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$44,052

7.18% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$171,200

Population & Diversity

South Boston, VA is home to a population of 7.85k people, from which 97.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.46% of South Boston, VA residents were born outside of the country (272 people).

In 2024, there were 1.21 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.92k people) in South Boston, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.25k White (Non-Hispanic) and 149 Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.9%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.9% of South Boston, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in South Boston, VA was 98.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in South Boston, VA

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.92k ± 357
White (Non-Hispanic)
3.25k ± 351
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
149 ± 81

4.89%

Hispanic Population

384 people

4.89% of the people in South Boston, VA are hispanic (384 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in South Boston, 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

3.46%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

272 people

2.74%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

216 people

As of 2024, 3.46% of South Boston, VA residents (272 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 South Boston, VA was 2.74%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
93 ± 59
World War II
38 ± 60
Gulf War (1990s)
34 ± 46

South Boston, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.45 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of South Boston, VA employs 2.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in South Boston, VA were Manufacturing (738 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (415 people), and Educational Services (278 people), and the highest paying industries were Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($77,981), Finance & Insurance ($76,923), and Public Administration ($64,911).

Employment

Occupations

2.8k

2024 Value

± 398

5.47%

1 Year growth

± 19.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in South Boston, VA grew at a rate of 5.47%, from 2.65k employees to 2.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in South Boston, VA, are Production Occupations (347 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (263 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (261 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of South Boston, 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

2.8k

2024 Value

± 398

5.47%

1 Year growth

± 19.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in South Boston, VA grew at a rate of 5.47%, from 2.65k employees to 2.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in South Boston, VA, are Manufacturing (738 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (415 people), and Educational Services (278 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of South Boston, VA, though some of these residents may live in South Boston, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,679

Median earning men ± $6,596

$38,214

Median earning women ± $9,985

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($98,009), Manufacturing ($60,795), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($51,000).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($67,031), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($63,917), and Information ($48,287).

Housing & Living

The median property value in South Boston, VA was $171,200 in 2024, which is 0.515 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $157,300 to $171,200, a 8.84% increase. The homeownership rate in South Boston, VA is 50.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in South Boston, VA have an average commute time of 15.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in South Boston, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$171,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$30,738

$1,512

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 South Boston, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

50.8%

Homeownership

2024

70.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 50.8% of the housing units in South Boston, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 49.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in South Boston, 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.

$44,052

Median Household Income

± $6,637

2.97k

Number of Households

± 417

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.97k households in South Boston, VA grew to $44,052 from the previous year's value of $41,102.

The following chart displays the households in South Boston, 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for South Boston, 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 (83.4%)
Carpooled (11.1%)
Worked At Home (4.35%)

In 2024, 83.4% of workers in South Boston, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.1%) and those who worked at home (4.35%).

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

15.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in South Boston, VA have a shorter commute time (15.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in South Boston, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

26.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in South Boston, VA (1.9k out of 7.08k 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 16 - 17, followed by Females < 5 and then Females 18 - 24.

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

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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