Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Norton's crime rate is higher than 99% of U.S. towns, with 13 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Overall it grades C−, ranked 214th of 249 in Virginia. Its schools rank ahead of 94% of Virginia towns and it is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is health: residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Norton, against 7.7% in Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town in Virginia scores lower than Norton on safety. Norton has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Country Cabin and Hotel Norton.
Where Norton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Norton Elementary | PK–7 | 527 |
| J.I. Burton High | 8–12 | 328 |
Where Norton’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 Norton is from typical.
Its grades run from A for schools (better than 94% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 654 in 1900, a peak of 4,996 in 1960, 3,687 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 6 maps from 1921 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Norton, 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 Norton.
Norton has schools in the top 5% of Virginia, gets more snow than almost anywhere else in Virginia and draws workers from Big Stone Gap and beyond.
At 3 years of the county’s $41K median household income, the typical home (about $124K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. Values fell 3.6% in the past year while the Virginia typical home rose 2.1%.
The median rent in Norton is $692 a month. The typical Norton home is worth about $124,000, 70% below the Virginia typical home. 50% of households own their home in Norton.
| Norton | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $692 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 50% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A ranks #9 of the 250 Virginia towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Norton City Public Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is J.I. Burton High, with 328 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–7 | Grades PK–7 | 527 | A− |
| J.I. Burton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 328 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 64.6 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the Virginia rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 366 to 235 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Norton’s property crime rate is 64.6 per 1,000 residents. Norton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less. Norton’s violent crime rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Norton | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 64.6 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3,293 jobs are based in Norton, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 20 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
About one in 3 of Norton’s working residents works in town. Only 6 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower median household income than Norton. The top destinations are Wise (13%), Big Stone Gap (5%) and Pound (2%).
| Norton | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 2,840 U.S. towns with household incomes like Norton’s, it is less healthy than 63%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of Norton adults report frequent physical distress. Norton beats the Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 20% of Norton adults smoke cigarettes.
| Norton | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Norton | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 20% | 12.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.3% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Flag Rock Recreation Area, at 887 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Norton | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flag Rock Recreation Area | 1.2 mi | 887 |
| 2. Clear Creek Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 3. Legion Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Norton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Wise 1se weather station, 5 miles away, records that 47 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, the highest of 698 Virginia places with climate records. The Wise 1se weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 1 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Norton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Only 2 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a lower July high than Norton.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2 within 15 miles of the center of Norton
About 6 of every 100 Norton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
2 places in Norton on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Norton.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Norton is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in the far western tip of the state and surrounded by Wise County, Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,687, making it the least populous city in Virginia. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Norton with surrounding Wise County for statistical purposes.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Norton grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #214 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D for health, D− for safety and A for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
4 notable people were born here, including Dock Boggs and Judith Jagdmann.
