Mooneys-Music-Place-va, 2017
Rose Hill’s story
201 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
- 1825Rose Hill is settled
Rose HillVA
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Population
447
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$122K
+8.2% in a year
Median age
60.1
years
Jobs based here
63
A commuter town
Is Rose Hill a good place to live?
40% of residents live below the poverty line in Rose Hill, above both Virginia’s towns (7.7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only one of the 254 Virginia towns we compare has a higher age of the median resident than Rose Hill. Rose Hill has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Rose Hill stand out
Where Rose Hill beats most towns.
Small town
447 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Rose Hill: who provides what
Rose Hill is unincorporated, so Lee County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPowell Valley Electric Coop12.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLcpsa-Blue Springs water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLee CountyLee County provides services here
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 hereLee General RegistrarLee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code2428124281 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 Rose Hill.
Housing
Homes in Rose Hill are worth about $122K, by Zillow’s estimate
In Rose Hill, the midpoint rent is $1,037 a month. Typical home values rose 8.2% in the year to September 2026. 71% of households live in a home they own here.
$122KZillow home value
| Rose Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,037 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 68% | 73% |
Typical home value
Rose Hill$122K
Virginia$412K
+8.2%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Schools
The schools Rose Hill’s kids attend
Its one school is below. The Lee County Public Schools runs its public schools. 256 students attend Rose Hill’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Hill ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 256 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Most of Rose Hill’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.3 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Big Stone Gap (4%), Middlesborough (4%) and Jonesville (4%). Most working residents leave Rose Hill for work: only 2% work in town. Employers in Rose Hill shed 93 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 63. Half of commuters travel less than 21 miles.
2%work in town
Where working residents work
In Rose Hill2%
Big Stone Gap4%
Middlesborough4%
Jonesville4%
Pennington Gap4%
21 mi
median commute distance
63
jobs based in Rose Hill
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Rose Hill stands out in Virginia and nationally, with the FEMA risk score higher than most
FEMA puts 71% of Rose Hill’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 8% to cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Rose Hill has four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 26°, with about 10 inches of snow a winter.
10″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–47°
Spring43–67°
Summer62–84°
Fall45–69°
Oct 30
typical first frost
Apr 15
typical last frost
+0.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Compared with most of Virginia and the rest of the country, more of Rose Hill’s adults smoke cigarettes
Among adults in Rose Hill, 33% get no exercise outside work. Only one of the 254 Virginia towns we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Rose Hill.
| Rose Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Virginia
0 better11 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Rose Hill | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.9% | 6.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.8% | 11.1% |
| More smokers | 20.9% | 12.2% |
Harlan ARH Hospital
10.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Rose Hill is conserved land
2.2 miles of trail. Rose Hill’s concentration of trails stands at 0.7 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 2,184 acres
2.2 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rose Hill
18pages on Rose Hill
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Rose Hill; the nearest are
Lincoln Memorial UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Harrogate, TN17 mi$26,938 tuitionSoutheast Kentucky Community & Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Cumberland, KY29.5 mi$4,728 in-state tuitionUniversity of Virginia's College at WiseUniversity or college · Public · Wise49.8 mi$11,780 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Rose Hill residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Rose Hill for work
Where Rose Hill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
63jobs based in Rose Hill
2%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Rose Hill
Census-designated place in Virginia, United States
Rose Hill is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Virginia, United States. The population was 729 in 2020, 799 at the 2010 census, up from 714 at the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.4 sq mi
- ZIP code
- 24281
Questions about Rose Hill
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rose Hill, VA a good place to live?
Rose Hill has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Rose Hill, VA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Frank Rowlett and Jimmy Bales.