Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pulaski gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $177K for a typical one, or 2.7 years of the Blacksburg metro’s $66K median household income. It grades C− overall, 221st among Virginia's 249 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. It reports more crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, including 55 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 88% of the country. Pulaski’s violent crime rate is 6.3 per 1,000 residents, above both Virginia’s towns (2.3) and U.S. towns (1.6). Pulaski has 9 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Dalton Theatre Building and Pulaski County Courthouse. Only 6 of the 252 Virginia towns we compare have a lower median rent than Pulaski.
Where Pulaski beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Dalton Theatre BuildingEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Pulaski is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,112 in 1890, 8,985 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 4 maps from 1940 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pulaski, 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 Pulaski.
Pulaski is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Virginia rate.
At 2.7 years of the Blacksburg metro’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $177K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. At about $177K, home values are up 7% in five years, against a rise of 23% across Virginia.
59% of Pulaski households own their home. The typical Pulaski home is worth about $177,000, up 1.7% in a year, 57% below the Virginia typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Pulaski County Public Schools. One of its 4 schools is below, with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pulaski County Public Schools Virtual School K-12, with 521 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 472 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 6.3 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 30.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft.
Pulaski’s property crime rate is 30.8 per 1,000 residents. Pulaski reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 5,602 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pulaski’s, it is less healthy than 67%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Pulaski. Pulaski beats the Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Pulaski.
| Pulaski | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Pulaski | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 6.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.9% | 11.1% |
| More smokers | 18.8% | 12.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 24.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 81% of Virginia places with climate records; July afternoons average 84.4°.
Pulaski has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Pulaski is 84°F. About 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Pulaski | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 84°F | 88°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 26°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pulaski has about as many jobs (3,867) as working residents, but only 551 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Pulaski for work: only 16% work in town. The top destinations are Blacksburg (8%), Radford (6%) and Christiansburg (5%). Half commute less than 14 miles.
| Pulaski | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1989, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pulaski.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Pulaski | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. New River Trail State Park | — | 13 |
| 2. Macgill Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Pulaski Bike Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Pulaski
About 4 of every 100 Pulaski residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
9 places in Pulaski on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Pulaski.
Town in Virginia, United States
Pulaski is a town in Pulaski County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pulaski had a population of 8,985. It is the county seat of Pulaski County. Pulaski is part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pulaski grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #221 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
6 notable people were born here, including Jeff King and Ed Goodson.
