Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
New Castle’s median age is 29.3 years, below both Virginia’s towns (38.5 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). New Castle has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them New Castle Historic District and Sweet Chalybeate Springs. New Castle has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where New Castle beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 225 in 1860, a peak of 702 in 1920, 125 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in New Castle, 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 New Castle.
Most working residents leave New Castle for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in New Castle grew to 236 in 2023, 87 more than in 2013. New Castle’s average trip to work is 29 minutes, where Virginia’s towns sit at 27 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
| New Castle | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 4.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical New Castle home is worth about $216,000, up 5.8% in a year, 48% below the Virginia typical home. The median rent in New Castle is $833 a month.
| New Castle | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $833 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
New Castle’s FEMA risk score is 84 of 100. Since 2004, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in New Castle.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 38% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 9% of residents (17% statewide). 32% of New Castle adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. New Castle has lost 2.4% of its people since 2020, down to 120 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
Somewhere between 9% and 100% women
The Census survey reached too few of New Castle’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±58.8 points. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women.
| New Castle | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 23.9% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.2% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 5.8% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.8% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.9% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.5% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 10.8% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.3% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 100, single groups can be off by several points
New Castle has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
New Castle beats the Virginia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in New Castle.
| New Castle | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | New Castle | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.7% | 11.1% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 74.2% | 67.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around New Castle. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
17 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
22 mi LandmarkProject Greek Island
26 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
25 mi LakeMountain Lake
34 mi LandmarkNational D-Day MemorialAppalachian Trail: Paulba. Original uploader was Paulbalegend at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Project Greek Island: Z22, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lane Stadium: User:B, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mountain Lake: Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National D-Day Memorial: RebelAt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of New Castle
About 13 of every 100 New Castle residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where New Castle’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in New Castle on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Virginia, United States
New Castle (historically spelled as one word; "Newcastle") is the only town in Craig County, Virginia, United States. The population was 125 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Craig County. The junctions of State Route 311 and State Route 42 and State Route 311 and State Route 615 are in New Castle. New Castle is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
New Castle has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including Bill Kay and Wheeler Bryson Lipes.
