Main Street, 2017
Pound’s story
76 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,193 in 1950, 877 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and a map from 1912 on.
- 1950Pound is settled
PoundVA
A town of 836, settled in 1950.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
836
2025 Census estimate · −4.3% since 2020
Typical home
$123K
+5.9% in a year
Household income
$32K
median
Median age
51.3
years
Jobs based here
689
A job hub
Is Pound a good place to live?
Pound’s income of the median household is $32,000, below both the Virginia town median ($102,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Among 138 Virginia towns, just one has a lower typical home value than Pound. Pound’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile, above both the Virginia town median (0.7) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Pound has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Pound stand out
Where Pound beats most towns.
A shrinking town
Pound has shrunk 19% since 2010
1,037 counted in 2010 and 877 in 2020; an estimated 836 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Pound: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pound, and how to reach them.
PowerAppalachian Power17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWcpsa-Pound water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Pound’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWise General RegistrarWise County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2026
ZIP code2427924279 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Pound.
Housing
Homes in Pound are worth about $123K, by Zillow’s estimate
Values rose 5.9% in the 12 months to September 2026. For Pound, the rent at the middle of the market is $775 a month. Just over three quarters of Pound households own their home.
$123KZillow home value
| Pound | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $775 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 68% | 73% |
Typical home value
Pound$123K
Virginia$412K
+5.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
A job hub: Pound has 2.5 jobs for every working resident and draws in 678 commuters
The top destinations are Wise (13%), Norton (7%) and Clintwood (2%). Just 4% of Pound’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based here fell to 689 in 2023, 221 fewer than in 2013. Among residents locally, 19% live below the poverty line.
4%work in town
| Pound | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.1% | 4.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Pound4%
Wise13%
Norton7%
Clintwood2%
Big Stone Gap2%
14 mi
median commute distance
689
jobs based in Pound
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
In Pound, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical Virginia or U.S. town
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Pound after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. 67% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 16%. Flood insurance has paid out on 48 claims here since 1982.
84risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesWildfire
48
paid flood claims since 1982
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Pound: four seasons and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 38 inches of snow, with January nights at 25° and July afternoons at 84°.
38″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–46°
Spring41–67°
Summer61–82°
Fall43–67°
Oct 16
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Pound
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Pound is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
2
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Health
A larger share of adults report frequent physical distress in Pound than in most of Virginia or the rest of the country
For adults in Pound, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 27%. Only one of the 254 Virginia towns we compare has a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Pound.
| Pound | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Virginia
0 better11 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Pound | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.3% | 11.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.9% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 20.6% | 12.2% |
Dickenson Community Hospital
9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.4%conserved
2.4%
conserved · 39 of 1,661 acres
2.9 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pound
19pages on Pound
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pound
About 5 of every 100 Pound residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Small town
836 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
About Pound
Town in Virginia, United States
Pound is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pound had a population of 877.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,565 ft
- ZIP code
- 24279
- Area code
- 276
Questions about Pound
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pound, VA a good place to live?
Pound has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Pound, VA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Kaitlyn Baker and Sean Brock.