Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Galax earns a D−, 244th of 249 graded towns in Virginia, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $39K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Galax, above both the Virginia town median (7.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On civic life, just 2 of Virginia’s 138 towns do worse. Galax has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Gordon C. Felts House and Galax Commericial Historic District.
Where Galax beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Galax’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Galax is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 755 in 1910, 6,720 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1937 and 4 maps from 1933 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Galax. Close and well known come first.
6 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
35 mi MountainMount Rogers
33 mi MountainPilot Mountain
33 mi State parkGrayson Highlands State Park
7 mi MuseumBlue Ridge Music Center
37 mi MuseumGlencoe MuseumBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Rogers: USDA-FS, Public domain · Pilot Mountain: Berean Hunter, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Grayson Highlands State Park: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Blue Ridge Music Center: RMLark, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Glencoe Museum: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Galax, 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 Galax.
Galax draws workers from Woodlawn and beyond, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
5,391 jobs are based in Galax, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Only 2 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower median household income than Galax. 33% of Galax working residents work locally. Jobs based in Galax fell to 5,391 in 2023, 407 fewer than in 2013.
| Galax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 33% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Galax City Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Galax High, with 432 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galax ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 667 | C+ |
| Galax HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 432 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,027 U.S. towns with household incomes like Galax’s, it is less healthy than 56%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Galax. Galax beats the Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 28% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Galax.
| Galax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 33% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Galax | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 76.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.9% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median property tax bill is $1,072, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Galax home is worth about $189,000, up 7.8% in a year, 54% below the Virginia typical home. The median rent in Galax is $743 a month.
| Galax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $743 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 56% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Property crime runs at 29.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 289 to 216 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Galax’s property crime rate is 29.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Galax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29.4 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Galax.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Galax Radio Wbrf weather station records that about 3 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Galax has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Only 4 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower July high than Galax.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.8 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Felts Park, at 27 acres.
| Galax | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Felts Park | 0.1 mi | 27 |
| 2. New River Trail State Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Galax; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Galax residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
7 places in Galax on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Galax.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,720. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Galax with neighboring Carroll County for statistical purposes. Galax is bounded to the northeast by Carroll County and to the southwest by Grayson County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Galax grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #244 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($38,675 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 C.
5 notable people were born here, including Mary Holland and Bobby Dodd.
