Photo: KJPurscell · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Big Stone Gap run?
Big Stone Gap’s town government spent $11.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,243 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Big Stone Gap didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Big Stone Gap is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $2,243 per resident a year, or $6.15 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Big Stone Gap didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Big Stone Gap yet
Every year of Big Stone Gap’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,013 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.62% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Big Stone Gap’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Big Stone Gap’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Big Stone Gap →
Who’s in charge in Big Stone Gap
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Big Stone Gap’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bigstonegap.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 86 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (5,153).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Wise County Public Schools
Big Stone Gap’s K–12 school district, shared with Appalachia, Coeburn, Pound, Wise, St. Paul. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,256 per pupil, $8,701 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Virginia districts overall: 49% local, 41% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Big Stone Gap’s votes are counted by county
Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Big Stone Gap alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wise County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.2%13,655 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat18.1%3,036 votesOthers: 0.7% (121 votes).
Most votes in Wise County: Donald J Trump
Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
100% of Big Stone Gap lies in Wise County. Every 2024 race in Wise County is on the county’s page.
Wise County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Big Stone Gap.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bigstonegap.org ↗
- 2Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Big Stone Gap compares with the towns next door
Big Stone Gap’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 0 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Big Stone Gap | estimate | $1,013 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Big Stone Gap’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Big Stone Gap’s government
How much does Big Stone Gap spend per resident?
About $2,243 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Big Stone Gap didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $36.2 million.
What is the property tax rate in Big Stone Gap?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,013 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bigstonegap.org.
Who runs Big Stone Gap’s government?
See bigstonegap.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Big Stone Gap yet.
How did Big Stone Gap vote in 2024?
Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Big Stone Gap alone. Wise County, where 100% of Big Stone Gap lies, voted Trump 81.2%, Harris 18.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Big Stone Gap?
60 full-time and 29 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $252,791 (about $3.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Big Stone Gap in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Todd Pillion) and House of Delegates District 45 (Terry Kilgore). The House of Delegates district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Big Stone Gap’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Big Stone Gap, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →