Photo: Cyoung9 · Public domainHouseholds in Galax have lower incomes than those in 97% of U.S. towns
Working from home is the commute for 6% of workers, next to 18% for Virginia as a whole. 31.1% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.9% across Virginia. The two grades for Galax are D for jobs and income and C+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Galax
Galax is where the jobs are
Galax has 5,391 jobs, 2.3 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 9,700 people are in town, 45% more than the 6,700 who live here. Day and night ↓
Galax draws workers from far and wide
The 5,391 jobs in Galax are filled from a wide area. Galax’s own residents hold 15% and the ten next-biggest home towns 11%; the other 74% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Fewer than half of Galax workers earn over $40,000 a year
42% of Galax’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 17% earn $1,250 a month or less. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: Galax’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Galax is better than 9% of U.S. towns, #249 of 253 in Virginia. Unemployment holds Galax’s grade up (5.1%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($38,675, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Galax could be anywhere from D− to C.
Who leaves Galax for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,583 residents head out to work, 786 work right here, and 4,605 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,700 people are in Galax on a workday afternoon, 45% more than live here.
2.3 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where the people who work in Galax live
Where Galax clocks in
5% of workers
3% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The 5,391 jobs based in Galax
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Galax, 2013 → 2023: 5,798 → 5,391. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Galax’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Galax: about 23 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Galax workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,633 commuters (the 6% who work from home are left out). Across Virginia: 83% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Galax goes to work
About 26% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Driving is how Galax gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Galax is more walkable than 42% of U.S. towns, #208 of 253 in Virginia. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.7% across Virginia.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,795 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.4% of Galax households have no vehicle (Virginia 6.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Galax’s commuters take a bus or train.
Galax and other U.S. towns of 4,700 to 9,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Pimmit Hills VA | 6,589 | $173K | 1.6% | 1.3% | 3% | A+ |
| 6 | Braddock VA | 6,536 | $212K | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | South Run VA | 6,600 | $250K | 2.1% | 1.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,997 | Rockwood TN | 5,607 | $48K | 22.1% | 10.5% | 7% | D |
| 2,998 | Lafayette TN | 6,020 | $52K | 27.6% | 5.4% | 23% | D |
| 2,999 | Galax VA | 6,670 | $39K | 31.1% | 5.1% | 33% | D |
| 3,000 | Paint Township OH | 4,882 | $53K | 17.3% | 5.9% | 1% | D |
| 3,001 | Golden Valley AZ | 8,567 | $43K | 23.7% | 3.9% | 4% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 3,201 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Galax, the top three, the last and three more from Virginia.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Galax: questions
What is the median household income in Galax?
$38,675 (±$8,836) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $93,170 across Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Galax?
31.1%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Galax?
23 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Virginia and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Galax work?
33% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hillsville (5%, 12 mi), Independence (3%, 13 mi), Wytheville (3%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Galax walkable?
Galax is more walkable than 42% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 8.4 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Galax without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Galax, from the people who make the trip.
More of Galax
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.