Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 146, settled in 1855.
34% of residents live below the poverty line in Selma, above both Virginia’s towns (7.7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 254 in Virginia we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Selma. Selma has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Selma beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1945 on.
Selma is unincorporated, so Alleghany County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Selma.
Most working residents leave Selma for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Selma grew to 390 in 2023, 380 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Covington (20%), Clifton Forge (6%) and Lexington (5%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 79 of 100, Selma’s FEMA risk score is above both the Virginia town median (22 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100).
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Selma has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Selma beats the Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Selma.
| Selma | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Selma | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.6% | 76.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Selma
About 0 of every 100 Selma residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Selma’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
CDP in Virginia, United States
Selma is a census-designated place (CDP) in Alleghany County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Selma had a population of 357.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Selma has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.