Town · Dickenson County, Virginia

Clintwood, Virginia

Clintwood is a town in Dickenson County, Virginia. It has 1,400 residents. Clintwood, Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 28 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,252 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Virginia it ranks #345 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on pharmacies (high), math scores (high) and time spent in the emergency room (low). It ranks worst on arts, entertainment and recreation (low), dentists (low) and restaurants and bars (low).

28Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,252 of 15,651 cities and towns
Virginia: #345 of 375 in VA
Population: 1,400 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 673.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 5117552

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.

Safety54#7,130/15,637
Economy37#9,923/15,631
Housing65#5,247/14,977
Health3#15,093/15,609
Healthcare10#14,048/15,650
Environment91#1,414/15,453
Education76#3,741/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,088/15,650
Community13#13,666/15,651
Leisure & amenities3#15,229/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Clintwood, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Dickenson County 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 · high3.8 /10k
99/100Virginia 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickenson County value
Math scores · high3.61
99/100Virginia 3.27United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickenson County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low109 min
93/100Virginia 164 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDickenson County value
Students per teacher · low11.1×
93/100Virginia 13.4×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsDickenson County value
Property crime rate · low446 /100k
92/100Virginia 1,354 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationDickenson County value
Reading scores · high3.33
90/100Virginia 3.16United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickenson County value

Weaknesses

Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100Virginia 4.6 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickenson County value
Dentists · low7 /100k
1/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickenson County value
Restaurants and bars · low2.3 /10k
1/100Virginia 8.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickenson County value
Social associations · low2.2 /10k
1/100Virginia 11.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickenson County value
Injury deaths · high158 /100k
2/100Virginia 78 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickenson County value
Primary care physicians · low15 /100k
2/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickenson County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
58.8% (2015-2019) → 82.3% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$26,847 (2015-2019) → $52,083 (2020-2024)
+94%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
67.6% (2015-2019) → 49.0% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
38.8% (2015-2019) → 29.3% (2020-2024)
−9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
11.6% (2015-2019) → 20.4% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
High school diploma or higherImproving
78.9% (2015-2019) → 84.4% (2020-2024)
+5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Clintwood, Virginia improved on 4 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved4

Household income+94%$26,847 → $52,083
Broadband+24 points58.8% → 82.3%
High school++5.5 points78.9% → 84.4%
Bachelor's++8.8 points11.6% → 20.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Clintwood, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.2 min2015-2019	17.1 min2020-2024	+1.9 min	Within the margin of error	28%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.6%2015-2019	20.4%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Improved	86%
Broadband subscriptions	58.8%2015-2019	82.3%2020-2024	+24 points	Improved	94%
Effective property tax rate	0.52%2015-2019	0.49%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	20%
High school diploma or higher	78.9%2015-2019	84.4%2020-2024	+5.5 points	Improved	84%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	−0.5×	Within the margin of error	94%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4892015-2019	0.4422020-2024	−0.047	Within the margin of error	83%
Median household income	$26,8472015-2019	$52,0832020-2024	+94%	Improved	98%
Poverty rate	18.2%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	38.8%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	−9.5 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.9%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	30%

“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 Clintwood, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Clintwood, 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, Clintwood, Virginia itself moved +15.4 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,400 residents (±268)

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

690 households (±144)

Clintwood, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k26%†180
$25k–50k21%†145
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

690 households (±144)

Clintwood, Virginia
Virginia share

Own59%408
Rent41%†282

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

506 workers (±138)

Clintwood, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone68%†346
Carpool19%†96
Public transit

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 Dickenson County, the county holding most of Clintwood's residents.

Dickenson County has 184 employer establishments, 136 for every 10,000 residents (0.55× the US rate of 248; 0.56× Virginia's), with 1,878 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,634. The Census Bureau also counts 471 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 184; 471 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 136; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 1,878
Average annual pay: $49,634; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	16	11.8	0.57×Fewer than typical	121	$42,521	15
Truck transportation	11	8.1	1.60×More than typical	113	$71,053	7
Restaurants and other eating places	10	7.4	0.40×Fewer than typical	174	$15,747	4
Gasoline stations	9	6.6	2.04×Too few to compare	114	$21,991	—
Banks and credit unions	7	5.2	1.60×Too few to compare	34	$37,088	—
Legal services	7	5.2	0.96×Too few to compare	15	$61,933	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	6	4.4	0.88×Too few to compare	24	$42,625	19
Grocery and convenience stores	6	4.4	1.49×Too few to compare	139	$23,288	3
Specialty trade contractors	6	4.4	0.29×Too few to compare	39	$59,282	43
Full-service restaurants	5	3.7	0.48×Too few to compare	84	$13,690	—
Health and personal care stores	5	3.7	1.39×Too few to compare	36	$60,778	7
Limited-service restaurants	5	3.7	0.46×Too few to compare	90	$17,667	—

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated -$4,841 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Clintwood, Virginia: -$3.46 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$4,841; −106% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$3.46; 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

Top recipients

MEDENTUM INNOVATIONS INC-$4,8410.0%

Spending by fiscal year

475.7FY2017
458.1FY2018
512.7FY2020
79KFY2023
16KFY2024
77.5KFY2025
-4.8KFY2026

What was bought

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 Clintwood, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Clintwood, Virginia's figures are part of those of Dickenson County, VA ($34.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Dickenson County

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.

Clintwood, 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.

Dickenson County32100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Dickenson County

Largest first.

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
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/5117552

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends