Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 1,595 jobs.
The best of Gate City’s subject grades is an A− for civic life; the weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 14 of Virginia’s 369 towns score lower on incomes. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower median rent than Gate City. Gate City Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Gate City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Gate City beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Shoemaker Elementary | PK–6 | 419 |
| Gate City Middle | 7–8 | 276 |
| Virginia Connections Academy | 6–11 | 728 |
Gate City Historic DistrictWhere Gate City’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 Gate City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 521 in 1900, 2,043 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gate City, 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 Gate City.
Most working residents leave Gate City for work: only 16% work in town. Gate City’s median household income is $43,000, where Virginia’s towns sit at $102,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Gate City.
| Gate City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Scott County Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gate City High, with 592 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoemaker ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 419 | B |
| Gate City HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 592 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
The typical Gate City home is worth about $174,000, up 3.3% in a year, 58% below the Virginia typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Gate City has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 27° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Gate City beats the Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 27% of Gate City adults have been diagnosed with depression, above both Virginia’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (23%). 40% of Gate City adults have high blood pressure.
| Gate City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Gate City | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80% | 76.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gate City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Gate City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grogan Park | — | 10 |
| 2. R P Kane Athletic Field | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Gate City’s property crime rate is 5 per 1,000 residents. Only 7 of the 87 Virginia towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Gate City.
| Gate City | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 14.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gate City
About 5 of every 100 Gate City residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
3 notable people were born in Gate City.
Town in Virginia, United States
Gate City is a town in Scott County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,043 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Scott County. Gate City is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol metropolitan area, which is a component of the "Tri-Cities" region. Some scenes from The River were shot here.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Gate City.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gate City | — | — | B+ | B− | B+ | C+ |
| Weber City | — | — | A | — | B+ | D |
Gate City and Weber City have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Weber City reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Gate City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($57,792 across the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
3 notable people were born here, including Mac McClung and Fayette McMullen.
