Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Wise County, VA

Welcome to Wise County.

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Wise County has a population of 36.1 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 405.5 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 28%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $2 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Wise County voted for Republican candidates six out of six times and never voted for a Democratic candidate.

Wise County comprises Big Stone Gap, VA micropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Big Stone Gap.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Harlan County, Letcher County, Pike County, Dickenson County, Lee County, Russell County, Scott County, and Norton city.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
48.17%48.87%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
40.54%58.2%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
35.33%63.05%++
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
25.04%73.75%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
17.81%79.71%+++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
18.71%80.44%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%28%
Government
Enterprises
20%24%
Private Industries80%29%
Agriculture<1%0%
Mining6%23%
Utilities8%-31%
Construction1%0%
Manufacturing7%14%
– Durable2%52%
– Nondurable5%3%
Trade20%178%
– Wholesale3%18%
– Retail17%233%
Transportation4%0%
Information2%-24%
Finance & Insurance2%11%
Real Estate8%0%
Professional &
Business Services
7%37%
Educational Services<1%0%
Healthcare &
Social Services
10%0%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
<1%0%
Accommodation &
Food Services
2%0%
Other Services22%17%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total. GDP data includes Wise and Norton
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers1064
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
326
📺 Electronics & Appliance
🛒 Grocery Stores1059
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores
⚕️ Health & Personal Care1163
⛽ Gasoline Stations2978
👕 Clothing Stores326
👠 Shoe Stores
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry
🏸 Sporting Goods
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers
🏬 Department Stores1370
💐 Florists458
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies
🍺 Bars & Taverns
🍽️ Full-service restaurants2062
🍔 Limited-service restaurants3269
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers431
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation325
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%124%$392,400 N/A
Top 20%52%$213,000 $219,200
Next highest 20%23%$95,400 $121,300
Middle 20%14%$58,700 $73,800
Second lowest 20%9%$36,000 $48,100
Bottom 20%2%$10,100 $20,700
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries59%$89,900
Self-Employment11%$34,800
Investment Income116%$19,300
Social Security45%$22,700
Supplemental Security9%Below $10,000
Public Assistance1%Below $10,000
Retirement31%$30,000
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
2%5%10%11%
$25K
– $49K
1%5%9%10%
$50K
– $99K
1%10%14%7%
$100K
– $199K
<1%6%5%3%
$200K
& more
<1%<1%1%<1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$49,200 $37,000
African-American$41,700 $32,000
Hispanic$53,000
Asian
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$33,800 $15,700
Highschool & GED$45,200 $27,200
Some College to
Associate’s
$58,600 $37,100
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$49,800 $56,100
Graduate Degree$100,300 $69,300
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$60,000 $53,800
STEM2$89,500 $109,000
Gray-Collar3$79,000 $35,600
Pink-Collar4$10,700 $23,900
Sales5$27,700 $38,800
Blue-Collar6$50,900 $31,300
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves+$
Drought+
Earthquake+$
Hail+$
Heat Waves
Hurricane+$
Ice Storm+$
Landslide+++$
Lightning+$
Riverine Flooding+$
Strong Wind+$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires++$
Winter Weather+$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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ZIP Codes in Wise County


Coeburn, VA 24230
East Stone Gap, VA 24246
Pound, VA 24279
St. Paul, VA 24283
Appalachia, VA 24216
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219
Wise, VA 24293

ZIP codes are dynamically and randomly generated at no more than ten per click. Refresh to see more.

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