Scores by category

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

Safety100#6/15,637
Economy54#7,240/15,631
Housing57#6,482/14,977
Health83#2,627/15,609
Healthcare79#3,226/15,650
Environment96#666/15,453
Education97#403/15,649
Infrastructure82#2,756/15,650
Community85#2,355/15,651
Leisure & amenities66#5,245/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Traffic deaths · low0.0 /100k
100/100Virginia 10.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataLexington city value
Access to exercise opportunities · high100.0%
100/100Virginia 83.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLexington city value
Dentists · high213 /100k
100/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLexington city value
Pharmacies · high5.2 /10k
100/100Virginia 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLexington city value
Reading scores · high3.61
100/100Virginia 3.16United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLexington city value
Math scores · high3.71
100/100Virginia 3.27United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLexington city value

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high100%
1/100Virginia 70%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAALexington city value
Voter turnout · low43.4%
1/100Virginia 70.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionLexington city value
New business applications · low7.7 /1k
5/100Virginia 15.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauLexington city value
Distance to an airport · high118 mi
6/100Virginia 32 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLexington city value
Job growth · low-2.3%
11/100Virginia -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataLexington city value
Average weekly wage · low$993
17/100Virginia $1,540United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLexington city value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
71.9% (2015-2019) → 93.4% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$42,632 (2015-2019) → $84,517 (2020-2024)
+98%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
27.4% (2015-2019) → 14.0% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.5 /1k (2021) → 0.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−47%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
20.9% (2015-2019) → 29.6% (2020-2024)
+8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioImproving
5.5× (2015-2019) → 3.3× (2020-2024)
−41%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, Lexington, Virginia improved on 4 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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

Price / income−2.3×5.5× → 3.3×
Household income+98%$42,632 → $84,517
Poverty−13 points27.4% → 14.0%
Broadband+21 points71.9% → 93.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Lexington, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.9 min2015-2019	12.7 min2020-2024	−3.2 min	Within the margin of error	81%
Bachelor's degree or higher	46.7%2015-2019	50.7%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Broadband subscriptions	71.9%2015-2019	93.4%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	92%
Effective property tax rate	0.95%2015-2019	0.85%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	36%
High school diploma or higher	91.4%2015-2019	91.1%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Home price to income ratio	5.5×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	−2.3×	Improved	99%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4952015-2019	0.4492020-2024	−0.046	Within the margin of error	82%
Median household income	$42,6322015-2019	$84,5172020-2024	+98%	Improved	98%
Poverty rate	27.4%2015-2019	14.0%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	96%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.4%2015-2019	29.2%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Rent-burdened households	48.5%2015-2019	47.3%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.7%2015-2019	6.4%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	38%

“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 Lexington, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lexington, 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, Lexington, Virginia itself moved +15.5 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

7,525 residents

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: 80 and over women (−1.9 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

7,525 residents

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

White78%5,887
Black5.8%†437
Hispanic or Latino6.3%†472

Education

3,367 residents (±234)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

No high school diploma8.9%†301
High school or GED25%†830
Some college9.5%†

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

2,187 households (±236)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k22%†483
$25k–50k10%†229
$50k–75k9.6%†210
$75k–100k14%†308
$100k–150k31%†673
$150k–200k5.7%†124
$200k or more7.3%†160

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+17.6 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

2,187 households (±236)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

Own54%1,176
Rent46%1,011

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,001 households (±254)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $75014%†142
$750–1,00030%†304
$1,000–1,50033%†332

Home values

1,176 homes (±201)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $150k8.2%†96
$150k–250k36%†419
$250k–400k24%†283

Age of homes

2,808 homes (±226)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

2010 or later2.8%†78
2000–20090.4%†10
1980–199917%†482

Size of homes

2,808 homes (±226)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

Studio1.6%†45
1 bedroom12%†344
2 bedrooms48%1,348

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

2,941 workers (±487)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone54%1,586
Carpool5.6%†164
Public transit0.0%0
Walk26%†766
Bike0.0%0
Work from home14%†425
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.0 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,516 workers (±458)

Lexington, Virginia
Virginia share

Under 15 min66%1,668
15–29 min21%†540
30–44 min6.8%†170

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 Lexington city, the county holding most of Lexington's residents.

Lexington city has 253 employer establishments, 336 for every 10,000 residents (1.35× the US rate of 248; 1.39× Virginia's), with 4,728 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,812. The Census Bureau also counts 462 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 253; 462 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 336; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 4,728
Average annual pay: $41,812; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	32	42.5	2.31×More than typical	389	$26,933	—
Ambulatory health care services	28	37.2	1.78×More than typical	255	$70,804	12
Full-service restaurants	16	21.2	2.77×More than typical	237	$29,186	—
Limited-service restaurants	11	14.6	1.82×More than typical	118	$26,263	—
Offices of physicians	11	14.6	2.26×More than typical	109	$89,560	—
Legal services	10	13.3	2.47×More than typical	40	$62,250	3
Lessors of real estate	9	12	0.97×Too few to compare	21	$69,286	59
Civic and social organizations	7	9.3	12.7×Too few to compare	19	$56,684	—
Religious organizations	7	9.3	1.68×Too few to compare	38	$24,447	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	6	8	1.96×Too few to compare	30	$35,100	3
Insurance agencies and brokerages	6	8	1.81×Too few to compare	28	$54,000	8
Specialty trade contractors	6	8	0.51×Too few to compare	82	$48,220	9

Rank places for an industry Open Lexington city

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 7,530 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 $2.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Lexington, Virginia: $325 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.4M; −48% vs FY2025
Per resident: $325; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Navy$2.3M94%
Department of the Army$146.6K6.0%

Top recipients

VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE$2.4M100.0%
TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT (U.S.) LIMITED$1,1600.0%

Spending by fiscal year

2.3MFY2017
2.8MFY2018
3.4MFY2019
3.2MFY2020
3.9MFY2021
4.1MFY2022
3.4MFY2023
4.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Colleges, universities, and professional schools · 6113$2.3M94%
RV parks and recreational camps · 7212$145.5K6.0%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing · 5324$1,1600.0%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Lexington, Virginia

RATIFICATION OF GOVERNMENT-AT-FAULT RETROACTIVE TUITION FOR FL25 NROTC MIDN TUITION AND ALLOWABLE FEES$2.1M
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE· Lexington city, VA· Education & social services· Dec 9, 2025 – Dec 9, 2025· N3560A26FB026
THIS NON-PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACT PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE ANNUAL JCLC ENCAMPMENT, SUPPORTING 300 CADETS AND 60 CADRE AND TO PROVIDE ALL PERSONNEL, EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, FACILITIES, MEALS, AND LODGING.$135.3K
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE· Lexington city, VA· Education & social services· Jun 11, 2026 – Jun 11, 2026· W9124D26PA177
FL23-FL25 RETROACTIVE NROTC MIDN TUITION AND ALLOWABLE FEES FOR ONE MIDN.$121.6K
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE· Lexington city, VA· Education & social services· Mar 27, 2026 – Mar 27, 2026

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

Lexington, Virginia's figures are part of those of Lexington city, VA ($2.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 99.8% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lexington 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.

Lexington, 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.

Lexington city90100% of residents

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/5145512

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends