county

Lee County, VA

Demographic and economic profile of Lee County, VA, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Lee County's economy reflects a rural Appalachian profile, with a GDP per capita of $19,203 and median household income of $41,827—well below state and national benchmarks—alongside a 27.6% poverty rate and 9.3% unemployment. The labor force is notably constrained, with only 42.0% participation and 12.7% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher, though 82.3% have a high school diploma and median worker earnings stand at $35,365. The county has shed 8.7% of its population over five years, yet housing costs remain among the lowest measurable, with a median home value of $98,700 and median gross rent of $725 per month.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

22,042

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$41,827

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

45.5 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-8.7% since 2018

Lee County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone20,294 (92.7%)
  • Black or African American Alone950 (4.3%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race269 (1.2%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races258 (1.2%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone48 (0.2%)
  • Some Other Race Alone41 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish445
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic41
  3. 3.Arabic29
  4. 4.Vietnamese17
  5. 5.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)13

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

18.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

59.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

22.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,489

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$19,203

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$25,439

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

9.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

27.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance2,019
  2. 2.Construction (Group)700
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)684
  4. 4.Public Administration (Group)555
  5. 5.Manufacturing (Group)544

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations2,280
  2. 2.Service Occupations1,463
  3. 3.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,057
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations994
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations944

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.42×)273
  2. 2.Public Administration (LQ 1.63×)544
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 1.53×)746
  4. 4.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.23×)507
  5. 5.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.23×)2,022

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$98,700

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$725/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

73.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,999542 (8.7%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999521 (8.4%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999504 (8.1%)
  • $50,000 to $59,999468 (7.5%)
  • $60,000 to $69,999443 (7.1%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999421 (6.8%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

12.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

82.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

42.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$35,365

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

26.2 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

10.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone5,279 (81.8%)
  • Worked At Home641 (9.9%)
  • Carpooled409 (6.3%)
  • Other57 (0.9%)
  • Walked41 (0.6%)
  • Public Transit26 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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More on FDI Connect

Compare Lee County against other US geographies, save it to your shortlist, see active property listings on the interactive map, and unlock the full demographic dashboard.

Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.