Highland County, Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Highland County, Virginia had an estimated 2,348 residents on July 1, 2024, up 5.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 2,232, across 415 square miles. County output reached $110.6 m in 2024, 79 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Highland County
How many people live in Highland County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20242,296
- Households1,003
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$65,625
- Median age56.5
- Median gross rent$856 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$200,000
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher30.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over1,748
- Population under 18334
- Share under 1814.5 percent
- Population 65 and over798
- Share 65 and over34.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,164
- Civilian labor force1,038
- Unemployment rate11.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over52.9 percent
- Rank by population among Virginia counties133rd of 133
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3096th of 3,222
Highland County is the 133rd largest of 133 Virginia counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 34.8 percent against 14.5 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Highland County
Is Highland County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20242,348
- Census 2020 base population2,232
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.20 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-3
- Births, 202418
- Deaths, 202430
- Natural change, 2024-12
- Net domestic migration, 202410
- Net international migration, 2024-1
- Total net migration, 20249
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024156
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents504th of 3,144
The county has grown 5.20 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Highland County
Where are people moving to Highland County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving33
- People arriving, from those returns63
- Tax returns filed by households leaving26
- Net household movement7
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$573,000
- Average income of an arriving household$69,091
- Average income of a leaving household$65,654
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $3,437 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Highland County
What is the Highland County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$110.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$96.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 202414.2 percent
- GDP change over five years70.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Virginia areas BEA publishes105th of 105
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes3040th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$48,189
Output grew 14.2 percent in the latest year and 70.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Highland County
Employment by industry in Highland County
- Covered employment, annual average615
- Establishments reporting135
- Average annual pay$44,493
- Average weekly wage$856
- Information, employment113
- Information, average annual pay$67,183
- Construction, employment62
- Construction, average annual pay$45,721
- Retail trade, employment37
- Retail trade, average annual pay$22,563
- Accommodation and food services, employment26
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$16,310
- Other services, except public administration, employment24
- Manufacturing, employment17
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information | 113 | 4 | $67,183 |
| Construction | 62 | 20 | $45,721 |
| Retail trade | 37 | 12 | $22,563 |
| Accommodation and food services | 26 | 5 | $16,310 |
| Other services, except public administration | 24 | 7 | $34,094 |
| Manufacturing | 17 | 4 | $33,992 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 13 | 4 | $21,269 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 13 | 6 | $26,025 |
Information is the largest private sector at 113 jobs, 18.4 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Highland County
How many businesses are in Highland County?
- Establishments, all industries79
- Employment at those establishments325
- Annual payroll$10.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents34.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Highland County
Building permits in Highland County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202412
- Declared construction value permitted$3.1 m
- Single family units authorized12
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$260,988
- Units authorized per 1,000 households12.0
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Highland County
How large is Highland County?
- Land area415 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Virginia counties42nd of 133
- Width, east to west27 mi
- Height, north to south28.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land6
- Establishments per square mile0.19
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Highland County
Flood risk in Highland County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Highland County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 510311
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Highland County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Highland County (community 510311), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Highland County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Highland County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Highland County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20242,296
- Households1,003
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$65,625
- Median age56.5
Common questions
Highland County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Highland County, Virginia?
The Census Bureau estimates 2,348 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 2,296, in 1,003 households, ranking 133rd of 133 Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Highland County's population growing?
The population has grown 5.20 percent since the 2020 census base of 2,232, to 2,348 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 18 births against 30 deaths, with net migration of 9. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Highland County?
$65,625. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $200,000, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $856 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Highland County?
79 establishments, employing 325 people with an annual payroll of $10.9 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Highland County?
Information is the largest private sector at 113 jobs, 18.4 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 615 jobs at an average annual pay of $44,493, or $856 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Highland County?
12 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $3.1 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Highland County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Are traffic counts available for Highland County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Highland County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Highland County
Cities and places in Highland.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Highland County. All 2 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey | town | 197 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| McDowell | CDP | 58 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby