The 10 Poorest Cities In Virginia For 2024


The poorest places in Virginia are Richlands and Wytheville for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, Virginia has certain places that are going on hard times. These Virginia places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Virginia.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 62 cities in Virginia with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Poorest Places In Virginia Map

What’s the poorest city in Virginia? According to the facts, Richlands is the poorest place in Virginia for 2024.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more Virginia reading, check out:

The 10 Poorest Cities In Virginia For 2024

1. Richlands

Richlands, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Brian Stansberry | CC BY 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,266
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $35,959 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.0% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,315
More on Richlands: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Richlands, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Virginia thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 5,266 people averages the lowest median household income in Virginia and the 6th highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Wytheville

Wytheville, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Mark Warner | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,228
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 3)
Median Income: $39,459 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.3% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,245
More on Wytheville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Virginia is Wytheville.

The city ranks as having the 3rd highest incidence of poverty and 5th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 22nd highest in the Old Dominion.

3. Blacksburg

Blacksburg, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Smash the Iron Cage | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 45,147
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $42,012 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 45.1% (highest)
People In Poverty: 20,374
More on Blacksburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Blacksburg’s median income ranks as the 8th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 45.13% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Old Dominion.

4. Martinsville

Martinsville, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Sleddog116 at en.wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 13,539
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $39,127 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.6% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,327
More on Martinsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Martinsville ranks as the fourth poorest place in Virginia.

The town ranks as having the 3rd lowest median household income and the 7th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Danville

Danville, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Miguel Gereda | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 42,507
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $41,484 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.3% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 10,754
More on Danville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Virginia is Danville.

The city ranks as having the 7th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 5th highest in Virginia.

Still not the best news for Danville.

6. Marion

Marion, VA

Source: Wikipedia User DwayneP (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,722
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 3)
Median Income: $37,337 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.6% (15th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,181
More on Marion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Marion ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Old Dominion.

It ranks as having the 15th highest incidence of poverty and the 28th highest unemployment rate.

7. Radford

Radford, VA

Source: Wikipedia User DwayneP at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 16,379
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $51,039 (16th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.8% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 5,534
More on Radford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Radford places as the seventh poorest city in Virginia.

The city of over 16,379 ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Galax

Galax, VA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 6,687
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Median Income: $44,612 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.4% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,499
More on Galax: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Galax ranks as the eighth poorest city in Virginia.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.

9. Farmville

Farmville, VA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 7,647
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 7)
Median Income: $39,233 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.9% (19th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,445
More on Farmville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Farmville couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Virginia; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 4th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Farmville ranks as having the 19th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Virginia.

10. Petersburg

Petersburg, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 33,261
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 5)
Median Income: $46,930 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.2% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,387
More on Petersburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Virginia is Petersburg.

The city of 33,261 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Old Dominion.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Virginia for 2024

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 62 places with more than 5,000 people in Virginia, we ranked each place from 1 to 62 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Richlands, crowned the “Poorest Place In Virginia For 2024”.

This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Virginia.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Virginia For 2024

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Virginia, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Virginia.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Virginia, according to data:

    Richest: Falls Church
    2nd Richest: Purcellville
    3rd Richest: Vienna

For more Virginia reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Virginia

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Richlands 5,266 25.0% $35,959 1,315
2 Wytheville 8,228 27.3% $39,459 2,245
3 Blacksburg 45,147 45.1% $42,012 20,374
4 Martinsville 13,539 24.6% $39,127 3,327
5 Danville 42,507 25.3% $41,484 10,754
6 Marion 5,722 20.6% $37,337 1,181
7 Radford 16,379 33.8% $51,039 5,534
8 Galax 6,687 22.4% $44,612 1,499
9 Farmville 7,647 18.9% $39,233 1,445
10 Petersburg 33,261 22.2% $46,930 7,387
11 Buena Vista 6,639 21.9% $48,783 1,456
12 Harrisonburg 51,784 27.2% $56,050 14,100
13 Hopewell 23,046 21.3% $50,661 4,913
14 South Boston 7,942 20.4% $49,654 1,619
15 Pulaski 8,982 22.6% $55,213 2,027
16 Emporia 5,680 17.3% $41,442 983
17 Roanoke 99,213 19.1% $51,523 18,959
18 Bristol 17,036 16.9% $45,250 2,887
19 Covington 5,722 16.9% $45,737 968
20 Bluefield 5,059 18.0% $53,162 909
21 Woodstock 5,798 23.5% $64,470 1,364
22 Richmond 227,171 19.5% $59,606 44,230
23 Franklin 8,194 18.8% $57,537 1,536
24 Charlottesville 46,289 23.6% $67,177 10,924
25 Lynchburg 79,166 17.5% $56,243 13,877
26 Portsmouth 97,384 17.4% $57,154 16,905
27 Big Stone Gap 5,221 16.4% $52,663 857
28 Waynesboro 22,341 16.1% $52,519 3,605
29 Ashland 7,617 17.1% $58,904 1,301
30 Abingdon 8,346 15.7% $56,164 1,308
31 Norfolk 236,973 16.9% $60,998 39,953
32 Winchester 28,103 16.9% $62,495 4,735
33 Fredericksburg 28,258 18.0% $83,445 5,094
34 Front Royal 15,064 15.5% $62,735 2,333
35 Newport News 185,118 14.7% $63,355 27,156
36 Strasburg 7,104 9.9% $56,244 703
37 Staunton 25,581 11.4% $59,731 2,926
38 Hampton 137,217 13.5% $64,430 18,469
39 Williamsburg 15,486 13.7% $66,815 2,113
40 Christiansburg 22,947 12.2% $71,468 2,806
41 Dumfries 5,697 12.8% $75,629 731
42 Lexington 7,346 16.6% $93,651 1,221
43 Vinton 8,045 9.6% $65,481 772
44 Salem 25,372 9.6% $68,402 2,440
45 Colonial Heights 18,158 10.2% $72,216 1,857
46 Culpeper 20,105 10.5% $86,940 2,107
47 Bridgewater 6,575 9.5% $72,051 625
48 Smithfield 8,625 12.3% $101,081 1,060
49 Suffolk 94,856 9.4% $87,758 8,944
50 Virginia Beach 457,900 8.0% $87,544 36,769
51 Warrenton 10,111 6.9% $83,737 701
52 Fairfax 24,242 10.0% $128,708 2,424
53 Chesapeake 249,377 7.6% $92,703 19,052
54 Alexandria 157,594 8.8% $113,179 13,899
55 Manassas Park 17,123 5.1% $91,673 866
56 Herndon 24,456 7.1% $133,403 1,736
57 Manassas 42,620 4.7% $110,559 2,020
58 Leesburg 48,465 6.2% $132,298 3,029
59 Poquoson 12,479 4.5% $114,503 561
60 Vienna 16,401 4.9% $215,556 803
61 Purcellville 8,928 4.0% $150,333 360
62 Falls Church 14,576 2.3% $164,536 339
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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