Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
South Hill grades D overall, 239th among Virginia's 249 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 24 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 91% of U.S. towns. Residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, natural-hazard risk is low. South Hill’s property crime rate is 28.3 per 1,000 residents, above both Virginia’s towns (14.5) and U.S. towns (9.9). South Hill has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Colonial Theatre and South Hill Commercial Historic District. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 10 have a higher median age than South Hill.
Where South Hill beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 732 in 1910, 4,690 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far South Hill is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Hill, 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 South Hill.
South Hill has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in Virginia and draws workers from La Crosse and beyond, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Virginia rate.
4,000 jobs are based in South Hill, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19.3 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
About one in 4 of South Hill’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in South Hill is 19 minutes. Since 2013, South Hill has lost 869 jobs, to 4,000 in 2023.
| South Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Mecklenburg County Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Hill ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 767 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 4.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 28.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft.
South Hill’s violent crime rate is 4.8 per 1,000 residents. South Hill reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
18% of South Hill adults have diabetes. South Hill beats the Virginia average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 46% of South Hill adults have high blood pressure.
| South Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | South Hill | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.8% | 76.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.8% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical South Hill home is worth about $207,000, up 3.8% in a year, 50% below the Virginia typical home. 54% of households own their home in South Hill.
| South Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,132 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Parker Park, at 34 acres.
| South Hill | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Parker Park | 0.4 mi | 34 |
| 2. Centennial Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Chase City weather station, 19 miles away, records that about 40 days a year reach 90°, the highest of 700 Virginia places with climate records.
South Hill has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of South Hill
About 5 of every 100 South Hill residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where South Hill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in South Hill on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in South Hill.
Town in Virginia, United States
South Hill is a town in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,709 at the 2020 census. Located on major Interstate and U.S. highways, it has a full-service hospital (serving patients from several rural counties), a tobacco market, and several hotels. South Hill has a close relationship with the neighboring town of La Crosse. Kerr Lake, a large reservoir popular with boaters and fishermen, is a short distance to the southwest. The Colonial Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with South Hill.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Hill | #239 | D | C | D | B− | D |
| La Crosse | — | — | — | — | — | — |
La Crosse isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Hill with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
South Hill grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #239 of 249 in Virginia. It grades D for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($57,045 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
4 notable people were born here, including Ben Coleman and Robert Wynn.
