Highland County, Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Highland County, Virginia has a population of 2,296 across 415 square miles, up 5.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $110.6 m in 2024, 79 establishments operate here.
78 sourced county values · tier FULL · 8 sections
Highland County
How many people live in Highland County
- Population2,296
- Households1,003
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$65,625
- Median age56.5
- Median gross rent$856 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$200,000
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher30.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over1,748
- Population under 18334
- Share under 1814.5 percent
- Population 65 and over798
- Share 65 and over34.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,164
- Civilian labor force1,038
- Unemployment rate11.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over52.9 percent
- Rank by population among Virginia counties133rd of 133
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents3096th
Highland County is the 133rd largest of 133 Virginia counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 34.8 percent against 14.5 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.
Highland County
Is Highland County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.20 percent
- Census 2020 base population2,232
- Births, 202418
- Deaths, 202430
- Natural change, 2024-12
- Net domestic migration, 202410
- Net international migration, 2024-1
- Total net migration, 20249
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024156
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents504th
The county has grown 5.20 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Highland County
Where people moving to Highland County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving33
- People arriving, from those returns63
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$69,091
- Largest single originHighland County Non-migrants (884 households)
- Largest single destination (884 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland County Non-migrants | 884 | 1,738 | $51.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 33 | 63 | $2.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Highland 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.
Highland County
What the Highland County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$110.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$96.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 202414.2 percent
- GDP change over five years70.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Virginia counties105th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents3040th
- GDP per resident$48,189
Output grew 14.2 percent in the latest year and 70.4 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.
Highland County
Who employs people in Highland County
- Covered employment, annual average615
- Establishments reporting135
- Average annual pay$44,493
- Average weekly wage$856
- Sector 51, employment113
- Sector 51, average annual pay$67,183
- Sector 23, employment62
- Sector 23, average annual pay$45,721
- Sector 44-45, employment37
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$22,563
- Sector 72, employment26
- Sector 72, average annual pay$16,310
- Sector 81, employment24
- Sector 31-33, employment17
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 51 | 113 | 4 | $67,183 |
| Sector 23 | 62 | 20 | $45,721 |
| Sector 44-45 | 37 | 12 | $22,563 |
| Sector 72 | 26 | 5 | $16,310 |
| Sector 81 | 24 | 7 | $34,094 |
| Sector 31-33 | 17 | 4 | $33,992 |
| Sector 11 | 13 | 4 | $21,269 |
| Sector 56 | 13 | 6 | $26,025 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 113 jobs, 18.4 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Highland County
What businesses operate in Highland County
- Establishments, all industries79
- Employment at those establishments325
- Annual payroll$10.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents34.4
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.
Highland County
What is being built in Highland County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202412
- Declared construction value permitted$3.1 m
- Single family units authorised12
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$260,988
- Units authorised per 1,000 households12.0
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Highland County
How big is Highland County
- Land area415 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Virginia counties42nd of 133
- Width, east to west27 mi
- Height, north to south28.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary2
- Residents per square mile of land6
- Establishments per square mile0.19
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 7(a) approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2020 onward.
- 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 Highland 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 Highland County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population2,296
- Households1,003
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$65,625
- Median age56.5
Common questions
Highland County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Highland County, Virginia?
2,296, in 1,003 households, ranking 133rd of 133 Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Highland County growing?
The population has grown 5.20 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 18 births against 30 deaths, with net migration of 9. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Highland County?
$65,625. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $200,000, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $856 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Highland County?
79 establishments, employing 325 people with an annual payroll of $10.9 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 Highland County?
Average annual pay is $44,493, or $856 a week, across 615 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is being built in Highland County?
12 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $3.1 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Highland County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 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 Highland County come from?
The largest single origin is Highland County Non-migrants, with 884 households. Arriving households report an average income of $69,091 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 Highland 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 Highland 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.