Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Blackstone grades D− overall, 245th of 249 graded towns in Virginia, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its public schools trail 85% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation. One bright spot: natural-hazard risk is low. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Blackstone, above both the Virginia town median (7.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Blackstone has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Schwartz Tavern and Blackstone Historic District. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Blackstone beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Schwartz Tavern| Widest gap | Blackstone | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.5% | 13.1% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Blackstone is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 580 in 1890, 3,352 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 3 maps from 1966 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blackstone, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Blackstone.
Blackstone fares better on crime within Virginia than nationally and trades workers with Richmond and other neighbors, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
The nearest emergency room, Community Memorial Hospital, is 25.1 miles away in a straight line.
20% of adults have diabetes in Blackstone. Only 5 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Blackstone. 44% of adults have obesity in Blackstone.
| Blackstone | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 33% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 17% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Blackstone | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.3% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.5% | 76.8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.5% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Nottoway County Public Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 371 | C− |
| Lion of Judah Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 4–11 | Grades 4–11 | 7 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Home values rose 41% in five years, to about $194K, against 23% across Virginia. The median property tax bill is $716, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Blackstone home is worth about $194,000, up 4.5% in a year, 53% below the Virginia typical home. Blackstone’s median rent is $1,123 a month.
| Blackstone | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,123 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 38.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 71% of Virginia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 92 to 64 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Blackstone is 4.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Blackstone | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Blackstone | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Blackstone since 2021.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Blackstone has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 27° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Blackstone has about as many jobs (1,513) as working residents, but only 195 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Blackstone for work: only 13% work in town. Jobs based in Blackstone grew to 1,513 in 2023, 144 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Richmond (7%), Farmville (3%) and Burkeville (2%).
| Blackstone | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Blackstone; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Blackstone residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
2 places in Blackstone on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Blackstone.
Town in Virginia, United States
Blackstone, formerly named Blacks and Whites, and then Bellefonte, is a town in Nottoway County in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Blackstone had a population of 3,352.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Blackstone grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #245 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($63,261 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including James F. Epes and Robert Jones.
