• county
  • FIPS 51173
  • Largest town: Marion

Smyth County, Virginia

Smyth County had 29,137 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 451.4 square miles of land. It ranks 61st of 133 in Virginia by population and 35th by land area.

Population
29,137
#61 of 133 in Virginia · #1,466 in US
Area
451.4 sq mi
#35 of 133 in Virginia · #2,267 in US
Density
65 / sq mi
#89 of 133 in Virginia · #1,246 in US
Median household income
$52,646
#108 of 133 in Virginia · #2,507 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Smyth County within Virginia. Pin: Richmond.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Smyth County

Smyth County population, land area and income

Smyth County had 29,137 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 451.4 square miles of land. It ranks 61st of 133 in Virginia by population and 35th by land area. That works out to 64.5 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Virginia has 27,800 residents, about the same as Smyth County.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $52,646 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

29,137

3144th1st

1466th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

451 sq mi

3144th1st

2267th of 3,144 (US)

Density

64.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

1246th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$52,646

3143rd1st

2507th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Virginia (133)

Population

29,137

133rd1st

61st of 133 (VA)

Land area

451 sq mi

133rd1st

35th of 133 (VA)

Density

64.5 / sq mi

133rd1st

89th of 133 (VA)

Median household income

$52,646

133rd1st

108th of 133 (VA)

How Smyth County's population changed since 2020

Smyth County lost 643 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.2%. That ranks 118th of 133 in Virginia for growth. The median Virginia county changed by +1.3%, and the state as a whole by +2.0%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Smyth County recorded 1,143 births and 2,379 deaths, a natural change of -1,236. Net international migration added +61 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +511. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 1,236 people.

29.8k202029.6k202129.4k202229.2k202329.1k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,143
Deaths
2,379
Net international migration
+61
Net domestic migration
+511
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-50

Where Smyth County is

The Census internal point of Smyth County is at 36.842300, -81.539800. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Virginia's 133 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Smyth County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Martinsville city: +2.7%Norton city: -5.5%Charlottesville city: -3.6%Winchester city: -0.7%Bristol city: -5.7%Manassas Park city: -3.2%Fluvanna County: +5.3%Clarke County: +5.3%Lunenburg County: +0.9%Colonial Heights city: +2.8%Franklin city: +2.8%Lexington city: +6.7%Petersburg city: +2.0%Suffolk city: +8.8%Emporia city: -5.1%Middlesex County: +3.2%Fairfax city: +8.9%Fredericksburg city: +7.1%Floyd County: +1.2%Radford city: +7.2%Waynesboro city: +5.5%Hopewell city: -0.2%Staunton city: +2.1%Buena Vista city: -0.6%Covington city: -1.4%Poquoson city: +3.1%Madison County: +2.8%Falls Church city: +2.4%Franklin County: +2.1%Mecklenburg County: +1.8%Smyth County: -2.2%Pittsylvania County: -1.6%Frederick County: +6.7%Russell County: -1.3%Nottoway County: -0.1%Scott County: -0.9%Mathews County: +1.0%Stafford County: +7.1%Goochland County: +13.5%Henrico County: +1.1%Caroline County: +8.2%Prince George County: +1.2%Prince William County: +2.9%Cumberland County: +4.0%Essex County: +0.8%Fairfax County: +1.1%Henry County: -2.9%Carroll County: +0.3%Grayson County: -0.1%Louisa County: +11.4%James City County: +5.5%Albemarle County: +4.2%Lynchburg city: +1.7%King William County: +7.3%Charles City County: -2.7%Northumberland County: +4.7%Alexandria city: -0.0%Salem city: +2.0%Galax city: +0.3%Isle of Wight County: +5.8%Newport News city: -1.6%Tazewell County: -3.8%Amherst County: +1.1%Manassas city: +2.2%Buckingham County: +1.7%Shenandoah County: +2.7%Richmond city: +3.0%Alleghany County: -3.7%Culpeper County: +6.4%Warren County: +4.1%Northampton County: -1.7%Southampton County: -0.1%Portsmouth city: -1.5%Rockingham County: +4.6%Orange County: +7.1%Sussex County: -0.4%Bland County: -1.1%Chesapeake city: +2.1%Harrisonburg city: -1.0%Powhatan County: +6.4%Virginia Beach city: -1.1%Dinwiddie County: +2.5%Campbell County: -0.5%Gloucester County: +3.7%Greene County: +5.5%Page County: -0.0%Halifax County: -1.4%Hanover County: +4.6%Buchanan County: -8.0%Highland County: +4.8%Surry County: +0.4%Westmoreland County: +3.9%Wythe County: -0.8%Greensville County: -2.2%Roanoke city: -2.0%Loudoun County: +4.9%Spotsylvania County: +8.1%Brunswick County: -0.5%King George County: +7.4%Bedford County: +3.3%Patrick County: -1.6%Lancaster County: +1.4%Nelson County: +0.2%Montgomery County: -0.6%Amelia County: +3.4%York County: +1.7%Norfolk city: -2.8%Williamsburg city: +3.6%Bath County: -2.8%Accomack County: +0.0%Washington County: +0.4%Pulaski County: -0.7%Rockbridge County: -1.3%Roanoke County: +0.4%Wise County: -3.0%Fauquier County: +3.9%Craig County: -1.0%Charlotte County: -2.4%Richmond County: +3.3%Lee County: -1.5%Chesterfield County: +6.7%Danville city: -1.4%King and Queen County: +2.4%Prince Edward County: +1.7%Hampton city: +0.2%Appomattox County: +4.9%Botetourt County: +1.5%Arlington County: +0.4%Rappahannock County: +2.1%New Kent County: +17.7%Augusta County: +1.3%Giles County: -1.5%Dickenson County: -4.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.4%
  2. < +0.3%
  3. < +2.1%
  4. < +4.7%
  5. ≥ +4.7%
no data

Orange pin: Smyth County internal point. Dark pin: Richmond.

Internal point

Decimal
36.842300, -81.539800
DMS
36°50'32.28"N 81°32'23.28"W
UTM
17N 451871.5E 4077514.4N
Geohash
dnw18dbtb
Plus code
868WRFR6+W3

Towns in Smyth County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Smyth County, 8,823 people together, or 30% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Smyth County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Marion with 5,602.

  1. 01Marion5,602
  2. 02Saltville (part)1,611
  3. 03Chilhowie1,610
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Smyth County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Smyth County. The most populous is Washington County, VA, with 54,098 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Richmond and the nearest big city

Richmond is 231.0 miles ENE of Smyth County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 87.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Bristol, VA (population 16,316), 37.6 miles away.

Smyth County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Smyth County is 51173: state code 51 for Virginia plus county code 173. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $52,646.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Smyth County, Virginia?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 29,137. That is down 643 people (2.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 29,780.

What is the FIPS code of Smyth County?

51173. The first two digits (51) are Virginia; the last three (173) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Smyth County?

Marion, with 5,602 residents inside Smyth County in 2024.

Which counties border Smyth County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Washington County, VA; Tazewell County, VA; Wythe County, VA; Russell County, VA; Grayson County, VA; Bland County, VA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.