City · Bristol city, Virginia

Bristol, Virginia

Bristol is a city in Bristol city, Virginia, part of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area. It has 16,849 residents. Bristol, Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 46 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,472 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Virginia it ranks #276 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on pharmacies (high), natural hazard risk (low) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on broadband subscriptions (low), preventable hospital stays (high) and property crime rate (high).

46Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,472 of 15,651 cities and towns
Virginia: #276 of 375 in VA
Population: 16,849 (2020-2024)
Land area: 13 mi²
Density: 1,308.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 5109816

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety32#10,586/15,637
Economy18#12,780/15,631
Housing75#3,779/14,977
Health11#13,850/15,609
Healthcare21#12,396/15,650
Environment99#115/15,453
Education73#4,262/15,649
Infrastructure19#12,641/15,650
Community45#8,549/15,651
Leisure & amenities97#544/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bristol, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Bristol city value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Pharmacies · high3.7 /10k
99/100Virginia 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBristol city value
Natural hazard risk · low1.8
98/100Virginia 17.92025Federal Emergency Management AgencyBristol city value
Grocery stores · high3.7 /10k
97/100Virginia 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBristol city value
Social associations · high19.0 /10k
97/100Virginia 11.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBristol city value
Traffic deaths · low4.7 /100k
96/100Virginia 10.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataBristol city value
Restaurants and bars · high15.8 /10k
96/100Virginia 8.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBristol city value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low74.8%
2/100Virginia 91.0%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Preventable hospital stays · high4,670 /100k
3/100Virginia 2,649 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBristol city value
Property crime rate · high2,686 /100k
3/100Virginia 1,354 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBristol city value
Average weekly wage · low$895
5/100Virginia $1,540United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBristol city value
Life expectancy · low71.7 yrs
6/100Virginia 77.8 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBristol city value
Food environment index · low6.5
8/100Virginia 8.9United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBristol city value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateImproving
37.8% (2015-2019) → 16.0% (2020-2024)
−22 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
50.6% (2015-2019) → 41.2% (2020-2024)
−9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$37,500 (2015-2019) → $50,404 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
84.7% (2015-2019) → 90.3% (2020-2024)
+5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Poverty rateImproving
22.6% (2015-2019) → 18.0% (2020-2024)
−4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.0× (2015-2019) → 3.7× (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bristol, Virginia improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Child poverty−22 points37.8% → 16.0%
Household income+34%$37,500 → $50,404

Declined1

Price / income+0.7×3.0× → 3.7×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Bristol, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.9 min2015-2019	17.9 min2020-2024	−2.0 min	Within the margin of error	71%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.4%2015-2019	24.8%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	77.3%2015-2019	74.8%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Child poverty rate	37.8%2015-2019	16.0%2020-2024	−22 points	Improved	95%
Effective property tax rate	0.92%2015-2019	0.72%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	58%
High school diploma or higher	84.7%2015-2019	90.3%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	37%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4742015-2019	0.4652020-2024	−0.009	Within the margin of error	59%
Median household income	$37,5002015-2019	$50,4042020-2024	+34%	Improved	64%
Poverty rate	22.6%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Rent as share of income	30.2%2015-2019	27.1%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent-burdened households	50.6%2015-2019	41.2%2020-2024	−9.3 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Unemployment rate	6.1%2015-2019	6.3%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.8%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	29%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bristol, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bristol, Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bristol, Virginia itself moved +5.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

16,849 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

7,226 households (±292)

Bristol, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k25%1,778
$25k–50k25%1,791
$50k–75k16%1,179

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

7,226 households (±292)

Bristol, Virginia
Virginia share

Own64%4,598
Rent36%2,628

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

7,142 workers (±480)

Bristol, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone78%5,597
Carpool5.8%†411
Public transit0.1%†5

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Bristol city, the county holding most of Bristol's residents.

Bristol city has 533 employer establishments, 319 for every 10,000 residents (1.28× the US rate of 248; 1.32× Virginia's), with 8,370 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,317. The Census Bureau also counts 1,087 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 533; 1,087 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 319; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 8,370
Average annual pay: $39,317; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bristol city by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	64	38.3	2.09×More than typical	1,404	$21,421	8
Ambulatory health care services	30	18	0.86×About typical	266	$46,538	41
Limited-service restaurants	30	18	2.24×More than typical	543	$19,449	—
Full-service restaurants	29	17.4	2.26×More than typical	776	$22,559	7
Religious organizations	28	16.8	3.02×More than typical	159	$21,132	—
Lessors of real estate	20	12	0.97×About typical	54	$37,648	96
Gasoline stations	17	10.2	3.14×More than typical	116	$29,440	—
Banks and credit unions	15	9	2.78×More than typical	90	$46,811	—
Grocery and convenience stores	15	9	3.02×More than typical	434	$25,196	—
Traveler accommodation	14	8.4	4.64×More than typical	1,006	$38,016	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	13	7.8	1.55×More than typical	62	$37,452	15
Legal services	13	7.8	1.45×More than typical	43	$51,419	9

Rank places for an industry Open Bristol city

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,709 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated -$628.6K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bristol, Virginia: -$37.31 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$628.6K; −145% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$37.31; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$71.9K0.0%

Top recipients

ELECTRO-MECHANICAL, LLC$71.9K0.0%
CORPORATE LODGING CONSULTANTS, INC.-$80K0.0%
REDCON SOLUTIONS GROUP LLC-$620.5K0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

261.4KFY2017
74.1KFY2018
106.8KFY2019
2.9KFY2020
11.9KFY2022
1.4MFY2025
-628.6KFY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies

Top industries (NAICS)

Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$71.9K0.0%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Bristol, Virginia

LEVEL II-ARMED GUARD SECURITY SERVICES IN SUPPORT OF FEMA DECLARATION DR-4831-VA IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA.$536.8K
REDCON SOLUTIONS GROUP LLC· Bristol city, VA· Facilities & utilities· Oct 9, 2024 – May 11, 2026· 70FBR325C00000001
S1 APPROVAL IS NOT REQUIRED BECAUSE THE TOTAL OBLIGATED VALUE OF THIS ACTION DOES NOT EXCEED $100,000.00. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SOLE-SOURCED, FIRM-FIXED-PRICE EMERGENCY PURCHASE ORDER IS TO PROCURE LEVEL II ARMED GUARD SECURITY SERVICES IN SUPPORT OF F$57.4K
REDCON SOLUTIONS GROUP LLC· Bristol city, VA· Facilities & utilities· Oct 8, 2025 – Jun 17, 2026· 70FBR326P00000001
EMERGENCY LODGING SERVICES-LODGING FOR FEMA CORPS MEMBERS UNDER DR-4831-VA$28.2K
CORPORATE LODGING CONSULTANTS, INC.· Bristol city, VA· Transportation & logistics· Oct 11, 2024 – Nov 18, 2025

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bristol, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bristol is mostly in Bristol city.

See federal money in Bristol city

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bristol, Virginia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

H. Morgan GriffithR-VA-9 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Bristol city54100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA36

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5109816

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends