Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Martinsville earns a D, ranked 240th of 249 in Virginia, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. Its public schools trail 92% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Martinsville, above both Virginia’s towns (7.7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 19 of Virginia’s 371 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is J. Frank Wilson Memorial Park, at 33 acres.
Where Martinsville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Martinsville | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.5% | 7.1% |
Census counts: 289 in 1880, a peak of 19,653 in 1970, 13,485 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 5 maps from 1926 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Martinsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Martinsville, 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 Martinsville.
Martinsville draws workers from Collinsville and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Virginia rate.
At 2.6 years of the Martinsville area’s $50K median household income, the typical home (about $131K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. Values fell 5.1% in the past year while the Virginia typical home rose 2.1%.
The typical Martinsville home is worth about $131,000, 68% below the Virginia typical home. Martinsville’s median rent is $808 a month.
| Martinsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $808 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 55% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Martinsville City Public Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Martinsville High, with 540 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Harris ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 399 | D− |
| Martinsville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 540 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
30% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Martinsville. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Martinsville. 19% of adults report frequent mental distress in Martinsville.
| Martinsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 17% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Martinsville | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.7% | 76.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.5% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
7,895 jobs are based in Martinsville, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 21.3 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
About one in 4 of Martinsville’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Martinsville is $47,000. Since 2013, Martinsville has lost 995 jobs, to 7,895 in 2023.
| Martinsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 10% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Martinsville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Violent crime runs at 5.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C. At 30.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 59% of Virginia’s graded towns.
Among 86 Virginia towns, just 8 have a higher violent crime rate than Martinsville.
| Martinsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.7 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Martinsville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 27° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Martinsville | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. J. Frank Wilson Memorial Park | — | 33 |
| 2. Southside Park | — | 21 |
| 3. Hooker Baseball Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Martinsville
About 4 of every 100 Martinsville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Martinsville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 places in Martinsville on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Martinsville.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Martinsville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,485. A community of both Southside and Southwest Virginia, it is the county seat of Henry County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes. Martinsville is the principal city of the Martinsville micropolitan statistical area, which includes the communities and towns of Axton, Bassett, Chatmoss, Collinsville, Fieldale, Horsepasture, Laurel Park, Oak Level, Sandy Level, Stanleytown, Villa Heights, Spencer, and Ridgeway. The Martinsville Micropolitan…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Martinsville.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville | #240 | D | B | C | D | D− |
| Villa Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Villa Heights isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Martinsville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Martinsville grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #240 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D− for health, C for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.6 years of the area's median household income ($49,860 across the Martinsville, VA 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.
24 notable people were born here, including Mike Neill and Randy Hundley.
