Capt. James Moore Homestead · National Register of Historic Places
Boissevain’s story
121 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 maps from 1911 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1905Boissevain is settled
BoissevainVA
This town of 830 people was settled in 1905.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
830
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$32K
Census ACS
Household income
$28K
median
Median age
52.4
years
Jobs based here
4
A commuter town
Is Boissevain a good place to live?
36% of residents live below the poverty line in Boissevain, above both Virginia’s towns (7.7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Of the 254 Virginia towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Boissevain. Capt. James Moore Homestead is on the National Register of Historic Places. Boissevain has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
830 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Boissevain: who provides what
Boissevain is unincorporated, so Tazewell County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDominion Energy15.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFalls Mills - Tcpsa water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesTazewell CountyTazewell County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTazewell General RegistrarTazewell County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes24605, 2460624605 69% · 24606 31%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Boissevain.
Schools
The schools Boissevain’s kids attend
Public schools: the Tazewell County Public Schools. Its one school is below. Boissevain’s only public school teaches 144 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abb's Valley-Boissevain ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 144 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
The median household income in Boissevain is lower than in most of Virginia or the rest of the country
The top destinations are Tazewell (8%), Bluefield (6%) and Bluefield (6%). The average trip to work for Boissevain comes to 23 minutes. The median commute is under 28 miles.
0%work in town
| Boissevain | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $28,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Boissevain0%
Tazewell8%
Bluefield6%
Bluefield6%
Princeton3%
28 mi
median commute distance
4
jobs based in Boissevain
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
In Boissevain, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical Virginia or U.S. town
Paid flood insurance claims in Boissevain since 1998: 14. Expected losses in Boissevain break down as 73% from inland flooding and 18% from cold waves. Also worth knowing: households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
73risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
14
paid flood claims since 1998
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Boissevain, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Only 2 of the 254 Virginia towns we compare have a lower peak summer temperature than Boissevain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 23° and about 40 inches of snow falls in a winter.
40″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–44°
Spring39–63°
Summer58–80°
Fall42–64°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Boissevain is
No town among the 254 in Virginia we compare has a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Boissevain. Of 32 CDC measures, Boissevain beats the Virginia average on 1 and trails it on 23. Among 254 Virginia towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Boissevain, and for adults here, the share who have high blood pressure is 47%.
| Boissevain | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 17% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 12% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Virginia
1 better8 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Boissevain | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.1% | 76.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.9% | 6.2% |
Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital
11.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Boissevain is conserved land
1.9 miles of trail. Boissevain’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,357 acres
1.9 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Boissevain
17pages on Boissevain
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Boissevain
Bluefield UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Bluefield8 mi$26,770 tuitionBluefield State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Bluefield, WV8.1 mi$10,648 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Boissevain residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Boissevain for work
Where Boissevain’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
4jobs based in Boissevain
0%of working residents work in town
28 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Boissevain
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Boissevain is an unincorporated community, census-designated place (CDP), and former coal town in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States. It was defined as a census-designated place (then termed an unincorporated place) at the 1950 United States census under the spelling Boissevaine, when it had a population of 1,197. It did not reappear again as a CDP until the 2020 census with a population of 457. In February 1932, 38 men lost their lives in a coal mine explosion. Boissevain is served by the Abbs Valley -Boissevain - Pocahontas Rescue Squad Inc - Rescue 945 for Emergency Medical Services.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,487 ft
- ZIP code
- 24606
Questions about Boissevain
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Boissevain, VA a good place to live?
Boissevain has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.