Smyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,800. Its county seat is Marion.

History Smyth County was formed on February 23, 1832, from Washington and Wythe counties. The county is named after Alexander Smyth, a general during the War of 1812 who was elected to the state Senate, House of Delegates, and as a Representative to the United States Congress.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. Smyth County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

Adjacent counties Russell County – northwest Tazewell County – north Bland County – northeast Wythe County – east Grayson County – south Washington County – southwest

National protected areas Jefferson National Forest (part) Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (part)

Major highways

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Smyth County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)48,75144,34931,88030,64227,76296.52%96.49%96.37%95.14%93.16%Black or African American alone (NH)1,2831,1846076304082.54%2.58%1.83%1.96%1.37%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)39464941360.08%0.10%0.15%0.13%0.12%Asian alone (NH)12724461821040.25%0.53%0.18%0.25%0.35%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census031xx0.00%0.01%0.00%Other race alone (NH)3731418490.07%0.01%0.04%0.06%0.16%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census187265882xx0.57%0.82%2.96%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2741342835275580.54%0.29%0.86%1.64%1.87%Total50,51145,96033,08132,20829,800 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 29,800. The median age was 46.0 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.8% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.9% of the population.

24.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 75.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 12,819 households in the county, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 29.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 15,097 housing units, of which 15.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.4% were owner-occupied and 30.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.

2000 Census As of the census of 2000, there were 33,081 people, 13,493 households, and 9,607 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 15,111 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.86% White, 1.87% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,493 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.60% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,083, and the median income for a family was $36,392. Males had a median income of $26,698 versus $19,712 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,105. About 9.90% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 14.00% of those age 65 or over. Tourism The Smyth County Tourism Association was formed in April 2006 to promote sustainable tourism development and manages the operation of the state-certified H.L. Bonham Regional Development and Tourism Center. The organization markets the area through https://visitsmythcountyva.com/

Education

Public high schools Chilhowie High School, Chilhowie Marion Senior High School, Marion Northwood High School, Saltville

Job Corps Blue Ridge Job Corps, Marion

Communities

Towns Chilhowie Marion Saltville (partly in Washington County)

Census-designated places Adwolfe Allison Gap Atkins McMullin Seven Mile Ford Sugar Grove

Other unincorporated communities Groseclose Rich Valley Konnarock

Politics

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Smyth County, Virginia

References