Town · Rockbridge County, Virginia

Glasgow, Virginia

Glasgow is a town in Rockbridge County, Virginia. It has 1,330 residents. Glasgow, Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 43 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,907 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Virginia it ranks #289 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on job growth (high), students per teacher (low) and public EV charging ports (high). It ranks worst on mental health providers (low), dentists (low) and pharmacies (low).

43Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,907 of 15,651 cities and towns
Virginia: #289 of 375 in VA
Population: 1,330 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 869.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 5131136

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety42#9,089/15,637
Economy34#10,252/15,631
Housing82#2,716/14,977
Health34#10,257/15,609
Healthcare16#13,119/15,650
Environment90#1,496/15,453
Education66#5,292/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,387/15,650
Community50#7,807/15,651
Leisure & amenities20#12,597/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Glasgow, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Rockbridge 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

Job growth · high3.0%
94/100Virginia -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataRockbridge County value
Students per teacher · low11.3×
92/100Virginia 13.4×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsRockbridge County value
Public EV charging ports · high14.6 /10k
90/100Virginia 6.2 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyRockbridge County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Virginia 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRockbridge County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRockbridge County value
Median Air Quality Index · low36
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRockbridge County value

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low5 /100k
0/100Virginia 284 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRockbridge County value
Dentists · low5 /100k
0/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRockbridge County value
Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100Virginia 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRockbridge County value
Drought exposure · high99%
2/100Virginia 70%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAARockbridge County value
Average weekly wage · low$886
4/100Virginia $1,540United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRockbridge County value
Distance to an airport · high114 mi
7/100Virginia 32 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauRockbridge County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
50.3% (2015-2019) → 35.6% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.9% (2015-2019) → 84.1% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$36,964 (2015-2019) → $51,827 (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateImproving
11.4% (2015-2019) → 3.5% (2020-2024)
−7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
30.8% (2015-2019) → 24.0% (2020-2024)
−6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Average commute timeWorsening
27.0 min (2015-2019) → 34.6 min (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Glasgow, Virginia improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Glasgow, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.0 min2015-2019	34.6 min2020-2024	+7.6 min	Within the margin of error	4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.1%2015-2019	11.9%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Broadband subscriptions	73.9%2015-2019	84.1%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Effective property tax rate	0.87%2015-2019	0.66%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%
High school diploma or higher	82.4%2015-2019	85.3%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	83%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3722015-2019	0.4422020-2024	+0.070	Within the margin of error	10%
Median household income	$36,9642015-2019	$51,8272020-2024	+40%	Within the margin of error	74%
Poverty rate	12.8%2015-2019	15.5%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	30.8%2015-2019	24.0%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Rent-burdened households	50.3%2015-2019	35.6%2020-2024	−15 points	Within the margin of error	89%

“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 Glasgow, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Glasgow, 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, Glasgow, Virginia itself moved +3.9 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

1,330 residents (±322)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 men (+4.8 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,330 residents (±322)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

White72%957
Black16%†216
Hispanic or Latino4.9%†65

Education

843 residents (±168)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

No high school diploma15%†124
High school or GED48%401
Some college23%†195

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

497 households (±104)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k31%†153
$25k–50k17%†86
$50k–75k19%†96
$75k–100k12%†60
$100k–150k13%†66
$150k–200k6.4%†32
$200k or more0.8%†4

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+5.9 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

497 households (±104)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

Own69%345
Rent31%†152

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

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

146 households (±64)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $75047%†68
$750–1,00032%†46
$1,000–1,50017%†25

Home values

345 homes (±92)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $150k59%†204
$150k–250k28%†96
$250k–400k11%†39

Age of homes

636 homes (±116)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

2010 or later2.4%†15
2000–200910%†66
1980–19995.3%†34

Size of homes

636 homes (±116)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom6.4%†41
2 bedrooms21%†132

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

484 workers (±147)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone92%†443
Carpool3.9%†19
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.7%†8
Bike0.6%†3
Work from home2.3%†11
Other0.0%0

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

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

473 workers (±146)

Glasgow, Virginia
Virginia share

Under 15 min25%†118
15–29 min35%†164
30–44 min20%†93

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Rockbridge County, the county holding most of Glasgow's residents.

Rockbridge County has 458 employer establishments, 204 for every 10,000 residents (0.82× the US rate of 248; 0.85× Virginia's), with 5,356 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,098. The Census Bureau also counts 1,728 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 458; 1,728 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 204; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 5,356
Average annual pay: $40,098; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	41	18.3	1.18×About typical	187	$46,583	187
Construction of buildings	25	11.1	1.47×More than typical	201	$62,577	74
Restaurants and other eating places	24	10.7	0.58×Fewer than typical	380	$21,450	3
Religious organizations	23	10.3	1.85×More than typical	74	$20,878	—
Ambulatory health care services	21	9.4	0.45×Fewer than typical	198	$62,818	53
Traveler accommodation	21	9.4	5.19×More than typical	307	$23,840	32
Automotive repair and maintenance	18	8	1.59×More than typical	133	$35,662	31
Other specialty trade contractors	18	8	3.20×More than typical	113	$45,619	76
Gasoline stations	17	7.6	2.34×More than typical	429	$29,280	—
Grocery and convenience stores	16	7.1	2.40×More than typical	150	$18,613	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	15	6.7	0.99×About typical	49	$29,714	140
Truck transportation	14	6.2	1.23×About typical	47	$44,404	28

Rank places for an industry Open Rockbridge County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 22,433 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Rockbridge 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.

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

House

Ben ClineR-VA-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.0%

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.

Rockbridge County66100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Rockbridge 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/5131136