Scores by category

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

Safety43#8,831/15,637
Economy0#15,589/15,631
Housing12#13,200/14,977
Health1#15,515/15,609
Healthcare16#13,073/15,650
Environment66#5,312/15,453
Education49#7,937/15,649
Infrastructure1#15,526/15,650
Community3#15,111/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,941/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Virginia 12.4 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLee County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low109 min
93/100Virginia 164 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLee County value
Grocery stores · high2.8 /10k
93/100Virginia 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLee County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Virginia 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLee County value
Pharmacies · high2.3 /10k
84/100Virginia 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLee County value
Students per teacher · low12.2×
80/100Virginia 13.4×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsLee County value

Weaknesses

Median household income · low$21,633
0/100Virginia $92,116United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Adult smoking · high30.8%
0/100Virginia 15.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · high25.6%
0/100Virginia 18.6%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Unemployment rate · high22.4%
1/100Virginia 3.4%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
New business applications · low6.3 /1k
1/100Virginia 15.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauLee County value
Dental care shortage · high20.0
1/100Virginia 6.1United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLee County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,179 (2015-2019) → 1,798 (2020-2024)
−17%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
52.6% (2015-2019) → 81.5% (2020-2024)
+29 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
56.9% (2015-2019) → 81.6% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
40.0% (2015-2019) → 56.8% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
19.5% (2015-2019) → 7.1% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Average commute timeWorsening
20.4 min (2015-2019) → 31.3 min (2020-2024)
+53%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, Pennington Gap, Virginia improved on 2 of 14 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.

Improved2

Uninsured−12 points19.5% → 7.1%
Broadband+29 points52.6% → 81.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Pennington Gap, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.4 min2015-2019	31.3 min2020-2024	+10.9 min	Within the margin of error	2%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.5%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Broadband subscriptions	52.6%2015-2019	81.5%2020-2024	+29 points	Improved	97%
Child poverty rate	56.9%2015-2019	81.6%2020-2024	+25 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Effective property tax rate	0.49%2015-2019	1.15%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	0%
High school diploma or higher	64.9%2015-2019	74.0%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Home price to income ratio	4.2×2015-2019	4.3×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.6322015-2019	0.5142020-2024	−0.118	Within the margin of error	97%
Median household income	$19,4522015-2019	$21,6332020-2024	+11%	Within the margin of error	18%
Poverty rate	40.0%2015-2019	56.8%2020-2024	+17 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	39.9%2015-2019	40.8%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Rent-burdened households	70.8%2015-2019	64.9%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.5%2015-2019	7.1%2020-2024	−12 points	Improved	98%

“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 Pennington Gap, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Pennington Gap, 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, Pennington Gap, Virginia itself moved −6.5 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

1,798 residents (±463)

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: Under 10 women (+7.1 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

1,798 residents (±463)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

White95%1,711
Black1.6%†28
Hispanic or Latino0.4%†7

Education

1,071 residents (±192)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

No high school diploma26%†278
High school or GED31%†331
Some college20%

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

682 households (±132)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k54%369
$25k–50k22%†149
$50k–75k10%†70
$75k–100k8.1%†55
$100k–150k4.5%†31
$150k–200k0.4%†3
$200k or more0.7%†5

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (+6.8 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 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

682 households (±132)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

Own43%296
Rent57%386

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

374 households (±106)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $75046%†171
$750–1,00033%†124
$1,000–1,50020%†76

Home values

296 homes (±88)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $150k80%†237
$150k–250k11%†33
$250k–400k3.0%†9

Age of homes

868 homes (±145)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

2010 or later4.1%†36
2000–20095.5%†48
1980–199922%†188

Size of homes

868 homes (±145)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom8.8%†76
2 bedrooms32%281

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

303 workers (±112)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone66%†201
Carpool18%†54
Public transit0.0%0
Walk5.0%†15
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.9%†27
Other2.0%†6

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

276 workers (±110)

Pennington Gap, Virginia
Virginia share

Under 15 min33%†92
15–29 min7.6%†21
30–44 min25%†70

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 Lee County, the county holding most of Pennington Gap's residents.

Lee County has 242 employer establishments, 111 for every 10,000 residents (0.45× the US rate of 248; 0.46× Virginia's), with 2,329 paid employees at an average annual pay of $37,919. The Census Bureau also counts 1,074 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 242; 1,074 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 111; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 2,329
Average annual pay: $37,919; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	21	9.6	0.46×Fewer than typical	214	$59,477	37
Restaurants and other eating places	18	8.3	0.45×Fewer than typical	243	$16,148	6
Gasoline stations	17	7.8	2.41×More than typical	116	$18,552	—
General merchandise stores	11	5.1	2.86×More than typical	281	$29,149	13
Religious organizations	11	5.1	0.91×About typical	30	$12,100	—
Banks and credit unions	9	4.1	1.28×Too few to compare	121	$57,537	—
Full-service restaurants	9	4.1	0.54×Too few to compare	83	$16,783	3
Specialty trade contractors	9	4.1	0.27×Too few to compare	22	$29,318	103
Legal services	8	3.7	0.68×Too few to compare	15	$32,467	8
Limited-service restaurants	8	3.7	0.46×Too few to compare	160	$15,788	—
Truck transportation	8	3.7	0.73×Too few to compare	39	$46,692	34
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	7	3.2	0.79×Too few to compare	31	$40,645	8

Rank places for an industry Open Lee County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 21,773 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 $83K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Pennington Gap, Virginia: $46.14 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $83K; +127% vs FY2025
Per resident: $46.14; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; 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

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$83K100%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

31.2KFY2017
11.1KFY2018
32.8KFY2019
37.4KFY2020
106.6KFY2021
58KFY2022
67.3KFY2023
26.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors · 2381$48K58%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$21.4K26%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$13.5K16%

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 Pennington Gap, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Pennington Gap, Virginia's figures are part of those of Lee County, VA ($3.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.2% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lee 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.

Pennington Gap, 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.

Lee County16100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lee 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/5161560

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends