Buchanan County, Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Buchanan County, Virginia has a population of 19,415 across 503 square miles, down 8.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.40 bn in 2024, 343 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 3 7(a) approvals worth $2.9 m.
106 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Buchanan County
How many people live in Buchanan County
- Population19,415
- Households7,530
- Average household size2.58
- Median household income$42,886
- Median age47.8
- Median gross rent$743 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$94,900
- Home value to household income2.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher11.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over14,909
- Population under 183,252
- Share under 1816.7 percent
- Population 65 and over4,633
- Share 65 and over23.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6411,530
- Civilian labor force5,599
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over34.6 percent
- Rank by population among Virginia counties81st of 133
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1915th
Buchanan County is the 81st largest of 133 Virginia counties by population. A median home costs 2.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.9 percent against 16.7 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Buchanan County
Is Buchanan County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-8.42 percent
- Census 2020 base population20,346
- Births, 2024160
- Deaths, 2024406
- Natural change, 2024-246
- Net domestic migration, 2024-117
- Net international migration, 202417
- Total net migration, 2024-100
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-679
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents3108th
The county has lost 8.42 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Buchanan County
Where people moving to Buchanan County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving248
- People arriving, from those returns442
- Adjusted gross income arriving$8.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$35,940
- Largest single originBuchanan County Non-migrants (5,749 households)
- Largest single destination (5,749 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County Non-migrants | 5,749 | 12,246 | $302.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 102 | 157 | $3.2 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 82 | 147 | $3.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 82 | 147 | $3.4 m |
| Tazewell County | 42 | 92 | $1.5 m |
| Russell County | 22 | 46 | $869,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Buchanan County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Buchanan County
What the Buchanan County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.40 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.50 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-6.8 percent
- GDP change over five years46.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Virginia counties56th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1573rd
- GDP per resident$71,942
Output grew -6.8 percent in the latest year and 46.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Buchanan County
Who employs people in Buchanan County
- Covered employment, annual average6,056
- Establishments reporting555
- Average annual pay$62,429
- Average weekly wage$1,201
- Sector 62, employment670
- Sector 62, average annual pay$62,805
- Sector 44-45, employment653
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$27,941
- Sector 31-33, employment242
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$83,805
- Sector 54, employment201
- Sector 54, average annual pay$68,116
- Sector 42, employment183
- Sector 61, employment164
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 670 | 144 | $62,805 |
| Sector 44-45 | 653 | 55 | $27,941 |
| Sector 31-33 | 242 | 18 | $83,805 |
| Sector 54 | 201 | 60 | $68,116 |
| Sector 42 | 183 | 13 | $72,763 |
| Sector 61 | 164 | 5 | $58,869 |
| Sector 56 | 162 | 16 | $36,229 |
| Sector 81 | 130 | 38 | $36,286 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 670 jobs, 11.1 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Buchanan County
What businesses operate in Buchanan County
- Establishments, all industries343
- Employment at those establishments4,687
- Annual payroll$310.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.7
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Buchanan County
What is being built in Buchanan County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202412
- Declared construction value permitted$2.2 m
- Single family units authorised12
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$180,571
- Units authorised per 1,000 households1.6
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Buchanan County
How much SBA lending happens in Buchanan County
- 7(a) approvals recorded3
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$2.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$967,367
- Median 7(a) approval$550,000
- 10th percentile approval$280,600
- 90th percentile approval$2,071,500
- Largest single approval$2,071,500
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)117
- Jobs per approval39.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active3
- Distinct industries receiving approvals2
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter3
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countSite Preparation Contractors (2)
- Most active lenderTowneBank (1)
The average approval of $967,367 sits well above the median of $550,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 0.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Buchanan County
Do SBA loans in Buchanan County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Cancelled1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Buchanan County
Which parts of Buchanan County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- Raven, approvals2
- HURLEY, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Raven | 2 | $2,621,500 |
| HURLEY | 1 | $280,600 |
Raven accounts for 2 approvals against 1 in HURLEY. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Buchanan County
How big is Buchanan County
- Land area503 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Virginia counties24th of 133
- Width, east to west31.2 mi
- Height, north to south34.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land39
- Establishments per square mile0.68
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Buchanan County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Buchanan County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population19,415
- Households7,530
- Average household size2.58
- Median household income$42,886
- Median age47.8
Common questions
Buchanan County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Buchanan County, Virginia?
19,415, in 7,530 households, ranking 81st of 133 Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Buchanan County growing?
The population has fallen 8.42 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 160 births against 406 deaths, with net migration of -100. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Buchanan County?
$42,886. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $94,900, which is 2.2 times income, and median gross rent is $743 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Buchanan County?
343 establishments, employing 4,687 people with an annual payroll of $310.0 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Buchanan County?
Average annual pay is $62,429, or $1,201 a week, across 6,056 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Buchanan County?
3 7(a) approvals totalling $2.9 m since FY2020, across 3 lenders, with a median approval of $550,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Buchanan County?
12 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $2.2 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Buchanan County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Buchanan County come from?
The largest single origin is Buchanan County Non-migrants, with 5,749 households. Arriving households report an average income of $35,940 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Buchanan County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Buchanan County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.