Smyth County, Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Smyth County, Virginia has a population of 29,420 across 451 square miles, down 2.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.35 bn in 2024, 499 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 12 7(a) approvals worth $6.6 m.
106 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Smyth County
How many people live in Smyth County
- Population29,420
- Households12,659
- Average household size2.32
- Median household income$49,883
- Median age46.4
- Median gross rent$731 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$139,600
- Home value to household income2.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher16.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over21,648
- Population under 185,665
- Share under 1819.3 percent
- Population 65 and over6,762
- Share 65 and over23.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6416,993
- Civilian labor force12,217
- Unemployment rate3.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over51.4 percent
- Rank by population among Virginia counties59th of 133
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1491st
Smyth County is the 59th largest of 133 Virginia counties by population. A median home costs 2.8 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.0 percent against 19.3 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.
Smyth County
Is Smyth County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.20 percent
- Census 2020 base population29,793
- Births, 2024269
- Deaths, 2024548
- Natural change, 2024-279
- Net domestic migration, 2024212
- Net international migration, 202418
- Total net migration, 2024230
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024479
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2550th
The county has lost 2.20 percent of its population 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.
Smyth County
Where people moving to Smyth County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving502
- People arriving, from those returns890
- Adjusted gross income arriving$26.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$51,875
- Largest single originSmyth County Non-migrants (10,139 households)
- Largest single destination (10,139 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smyth County Non-migrants | 10,139 | 20,209 | $548.5 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 186 | 323 | $8.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 162 | 279 | $6.9 m |
| Washington County | 140 | 259 | $5.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 121 | 193 | $9.8 m |
| Wythe County | 55 | 115 | $2.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 24 | 44 | $1.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Smyth 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.
Smyth County
What the Smyth County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.35 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.31 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.9 percent
- GDP change over five years29.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among Virginia counties58th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1597th
- GDP per resident$45,869
Output grew 2.9 percent in the latest year and 29.7 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.
Smyth County
Who employs people in Smyth County
- Covered employment, annual average11,649
- Establishments reporting816
- Average annual pay$48,271
- Average weekly wage$928
- Sector 31-33, employment3,273
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$57,539
- Sector 62, employment1,159
- Sector 62, average annual pay$50,406
- Sector 44-45, employment1,142
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$29,060
- Sector 56, employment838
- Sector 56, average annual pay$36,748
- Sector 23, employment389
- Sector 81, employment175
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 3,273 | 37 | $57,539 |
| Sector 62 | 1,159 | 290 | $50,406 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,142 | 103 | $29,060 |
| Sector 56 | 838 | 20 | $36,748 |
| Sector 23 | 389 | 46 | $55,982 |
| Sector 81 | 175 | 51 | $35,374 |
| Sector 61 | 92 | 3 | $31,517 |
| Sector 52 | 89 | 23 | $52,971 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,273 jobs, 28.1 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.
Smyth County
What businesses operate in Smyth County
- Establishments, all industries499
- Employment at those establishments8,169
- Annual payroll$389.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.0
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.
Smyth County
What is being built in Smyth County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202440
- Declared construction value permitted$11.9 m
- Single family units authorised40
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$297,778
- Units authorised per 1,000 households3.2
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Smyth County
How much SBA lending happens in Smyth County
- 7(a) approvals recorded12
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$6.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$550,175
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$150,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,255,000
- Largest single approval$1,335,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)94
- Jobs per approval7.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals7
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter9
- Franchise loans3
- Franchise share of approvals25.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (3)
- Most active lenderThe First Bank and Trust Company (7)
The average approval of $550,175 sits well above the median of $350,000, 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 25.0 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.
Smyth County
Do SBA loans in Smyth County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Cancelled3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 4 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.
Smyth County
Which parts of Smyth County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- CHILHOWIE, approvals7
- Marion, approvals5
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| CHILHOWIE | 7 | $3,152,000 |
| Marion | 5 | $3,450,100 |
CHILHOWIE accounts for 7 approvals against 5 in Marion. 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.
Smyth County
How big is Smyth County
- Land area451 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Virginia counties35th of 133
- Width, east to west31.8 mi
- Height, north to south25.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land65
- Establishments per square mile1.11
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 Smyth 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 Smyth County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population29,420
- Households12,659
- Average household size2.32
- Median household income$49,883
- Median age46.4
Common questions
Smyth County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Smyth County, Virginia?
29,420, in 12,659 households, ranking 59th of 133 Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Smyth County growing?
The population has fallen 2.20 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 269 births against 548 deaths, with net migration of 230. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Smyth County?
$49,883. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $139,600, which is 2.8 times income, and median gross rent is $731 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Smyth County?
499 establishments, employing 8,169 people with an annual payroll of $389.6 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 Smyth County?
Average annual pay is $48,271, or $928 a week, across 11,649 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Smyth County?
12 7(a) approvals totalling $6.6 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Smyth County?
40 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $11.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Smyth 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 Smyth County come from?
The largest single origin is Smyth County Non-migrants, with 10,139 households. Arriving households report an average income of $51,875 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 Smyth 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 Smyth 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.