Galax city, Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Galax city, VA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Virginia
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 83% of counties in Virginia
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 82% of counties in Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Galax city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,726 | 8,702,460 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 813.3 | 203.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.22% | 0.57% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.7 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 2,763 | 3,364,625 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Galax city declined by 1.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6,726 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Galax city is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.1% of residents. That is 0.7 points above Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,171 17.4% -4.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,210 18.0% -4.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,420 21.1% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,363 20.3% +3.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Virginia, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 53.7% of the people living in Galax city and men 46.3%.
- Women 53.7% Virginia 50.6%
- Men 46.3% Virginia 49.4%
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100% of everyone living in Galax city
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Economy
Galax city has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Galax city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $38,749 | $93,527 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.76% | 4.33% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Galax city is about 59% lower than in Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Galax city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $99,482 | $256,082 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $742 | $1,579 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 56.3% | 67.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Galax city is about 11.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $742 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Galax city spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 111 hours, about 4.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Galax city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.3 | 23.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 26.6 | 46.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 111 | 193 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,438 | $5,986 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.8% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,004 | 10,059 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 443 | 1,531 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Virginia:
Lexington city (10.6 min), Covington city (12.2 min), Norton city (13.1 min).
Slowest:
Amelia County (43.7 min), Craig County (41.3 min), Buckingham County (41.3 min).
The average commute time in Galax city is 13 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Virginia.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Galax city has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Galax city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.3% | 37.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.34 | 2.52 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Virginia:
Falls Church city (0.6), Arlington County (0.6), Alexandria city (0.5).
Lowest:
Greensville County (0.2), Lunenburg County (0.2), Buchanan County (0.2).
Health
Galax city has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Galax city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.6% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.0% | 19.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Virginia:
Falls Church city (0.8), Arlington County (0.8), Fairfax County (0.8).
Lowest:
Emporia city (0.7), Petersburg city (0.8), Galax city (0.8).
Galax city, VA Compared With Nearby Counties
Galax city, VA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 6,726 residents against a local median of 29,157. Galax city, VA's commute, at 13.3 min, runs 36% below the 20.8 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $38,749 against a local median of $55,025, 30% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Galax city, VA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves sit within 4.5 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Galax city, VA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Galax city, VA has the lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galax city, VA | 6,726 | $38,749 #4/4 | $99,482 #3/4 | 13.3 min #1/4 |
| Carroll County, VA | 29,157 | $54,664 | $59,216 | 23.4 min |
| Wythe County, VA | 28,184 | $57,139 | $130,514 | 20.8 min |
| Surry County, NC | 71,374 | $55,025 | $207,242 | 18.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Galax city, Virginia.
How many people live in Galax city, Virginia?
About 6,726 people live in Galax city, Virginia, in 2,763 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Galax city, Virginia mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Galax city, Virginia has 813 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 9.4 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Galax city, Virginia?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($99,482 against $38,749), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $742 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Galax city, Virginia?
16.3% of adults in Galax city, Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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