Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Hillsville - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
Nationally, Hillsville sits in the 40th percentile for household income and the 53rd percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
40th
percentile, household income
22nd
percentile, home value
5th
percentile, median rent
53rd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Hillsville, VA
2,869 people live in Hillsville, Virginia - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Hillsville brings in $62,861 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.8%. Typical homes in Hillsville are valued around $132,600, and the median resident age is 34.7 years. Educational attainment runs 16.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 48.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 3 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 50% from five years earlier. Hillsville reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1264.5 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Virginia tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 101.1 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $914 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $235 across Virginia, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 45.1 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
Population
2,869 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Virginia
Median Household Income
$62,861/yr
Poverty 10.8%
Cost of Living Index (state)
101.1 (US=100)
Near Average - BEA RPP 2024, Virginia average
How does Hillsville compare to other US cities?
Where Hillsville sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income40% higher than other cities
Home value22% pricier than other cities
Median rent5% pricier than other cities
Safety53% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Virginia alone, Hillsville ranks #37 of 117 Virginia cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Hillsville's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Virginia, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
40th percentile nationally for median household income · 53rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Hillsville's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Hillsville's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Hillsville's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$132,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 78% of 15,600 US cities
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Income distribution context
Hillsville, VA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Hillsville, VA. Diagonal = perfect equality.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)16.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)10.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)48.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,869
Median Income
$62,861
Median Home Value
$132,600
Median Age
34.7
Poverty Rate
10.8%
Labor force participation
48.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
16.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1264.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
140.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1124.0
per 100,000 residents
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Hillsville's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
3
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
2
2
0
$0.5M
2020
1
1
0
$0.1M
2021
3
3
0
$0.7M
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
1
1
0
$0.0M
2024
3
3
0
$0.8M
Permit volume increased 50% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
83.2%
Carpool
10.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
6.3%
Work from Home
0.6%
Based on 1,065 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Virginia - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$70
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$50
avg/month
Total Utilities
$235
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Virginia state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Virginia state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Hillsville sits in
Census ACS 5-year FIPS VA FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Hillsville, VA?
What is the population of Hillsville, VA?+
2,869 people live in Hillsville, VA according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Hillsville, VA?+
Hillsville households earn a median of $62,861 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Hillsville?+
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Hillsville; the closest available measure is the Virginia state average, a cost of living index of 101.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Virginia vary by metro area.
Is Hillsville, VA safe?+
Hillsville has a total crime rate of 1264.5 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.
What is the median home value in Hillsville, VA?+
A typical home in Hillsville is worth $132,600, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.