Washington County, Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Washington County, Virginia had an estimated 54,098 residents on July 1, 2024, up 0.3 percent since the 2020 census base of 53,940, across 561 square miles. 1,207 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 62 7(a) approvals worth $36.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Washington County
How many people live in Washington County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202453,926
- Households22,112
- Average household size2.44
- Median household income$64,552
- Median age46.9
- Median gross rent$854 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$214,000
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over40,265
- Population under 189,411
- Share under 1817.5 percent
- Population 65 and over13,343
- Share 65 and over24.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6431,172
- Civilian labor force24,306
- Unemployment rate3.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over54.6 percent
- Rank by population among Virginia counties35th of 133
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included961st of 3,222
Washington County is the 35th largest of 133 Virginia counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 24.7 percent against 17.5 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.
Washington County
Is Washington County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202454,098
- Census 2020 base population53,940
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.29 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202470
- Births, 2024452
- Deaths, 2024858
- Natural change, 2024-406
- Net domestic migration, 2024430
- Net international migration, 202449
- Total net migration, 2024479
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,728
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1724th of 3,144
The county has grown 0.29 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Washington County
Where are people moving to Washington County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,419
- People arriving, from those returns2,620
- Tax returns filed by households leaving1,128
- Net household movement291
- Adjusted gross income arriving$93.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$26.1 m
- Average income of an arriving household$65,517
- Average income of a leaving household$59,291
- Largest single originBristol city (191 households)
- Largest single destinationSullivan County (200 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol city | 191 | 365 | $9.1 m |
| Sullivan County | 169 | 308 | $16.0 m |
| Smyth County | 135 | 256 | $7.8 m |
| Russell County | 62 | 104 | $3.6 m |
| Tazewell County | 46 | 84 | $-20.2 m |
| Washington County | 32 | 52 | $2.0 m |
| Buchanan County | 28 | 57 | $2.2 m |
Households arriving report $6,226 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Bristol city, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Washington County
Employment by industry in Washington County
- Covered employment, annual average20,425
- Establishments reporting1,578
- Average annual pay$48,472
- Average weekly wage$932
- Retail trade, employment3,039
- Retail trade, average annual pay$34,144
- Health care and social assistance, employment2,746
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$56,977
- Manufacturing, employment2,472
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$60,000
- Accommodation and food services, employment1,892
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$23,822
- Transportation and warehousing, employment1,092
- Construction, employment780
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 3,039 | 196 | $34,144 |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,746 | 348 | $56,977 |
| Manufacturing | 2,472 | 68 | $60,000 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,892 | 107 | $23,822 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,092 | 43 | $50,289 |
| Construction | 780 | 132 | $59,641 |
| Wholesale trade | 663 | 50 | $56,834 |
| Other services, except public administration | 621 | 115 | $39,039 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 3,039 jobs, 14.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Washington County
How many businesses are in Washington County?
- Establishments, all industries1,207
- Employment at those establishments18,465
- Annual payroll$875.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.4
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.
Washington County
Building permits in Washington County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024106
- Declared construction value permitted$33.9 m
- Single family units authorized104
- Multifamily units authorized2
- Multifamily share of units1.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$319,378
- Units authorized per 1,000 households4.8
Single-family homes are 98.1 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Washington County
SBA loans in Washington County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded62
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$36.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$584,198
- Median 7(a) approval$215,400
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,788,310
- Largest single approval$4,100,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)805
- Jobs per approval13.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active11
- Distinct industries receiving approvals38
- Median 7(a) term119 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer16.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms10
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter49
- Franchise loans4
- Franchise share of approvals6.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countInvestment Advice (5)
- Most active lenderThe First Bank and Trust Company (41)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.2 m
- Average 504 approval$406,000
- Median 504 approval$348,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval7.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved18.1
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$37.4 m
The average approval of $584,198 sits well above the median of $215,400, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 16.1 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Washington County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Washington County
Do SBA loans in Washington County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded20
- Paid in full20
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure27
- Status: Paid in full20
- Status: Cancelled14
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Only 20 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Washington County
SBA lending by place in Washington County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending7
- Abingdon, approvals38
- Bristol, approvals16
- Glade Spring, approvals3
- Meadowview, approvals2
- Little Rock, approvals1
- Damascus, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Abingdon | 38 | $23,647,100 |
| Bristol | 16 | $7,993,400 |
| Glade Spring | 3 | $3,480,200 |
| Meadowview | 2 | $50,000 |
| Little Rock | 1 | $900,000 |
| Damascus | 1 | $80,000 |
| Chilhowie | 1 | $69,600 |
Abingdon accounts for 38 approvals against 16 in Bristol. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Washington County
How large is Washington County?
- Land area561 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Virginia counties14th of 133
- Width, east to west40.3 mi
- Height, north to south23.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land96
- Establishments per square mile2.15
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.
Washington County
Flood risk in Washington County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Washington County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 510168
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Washington 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 Washington County (community 510168), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202453,926
- Households22,112
- Average household size2.44
- Median household income$64,552
- Median age46.9
Common questions
Washington County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Washington County, Virginia?
The Census Bureau estimates 54,098 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 53,926, in 22,112 households, ranking 35th of 133 Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Washington County's population growing?
The population has grown 0.29 percent since the 2020 census base of 53,940, to 54,098 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 452 births against 858 deaths, with net migration of 479. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Washington County?
$64,552. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $214,000, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $854 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Washington County?
1,207 establishments, employing 18,465 people with an annual payroll of $875.8 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 Washington County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 3,039 jobs, 14.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 20,425 jobs at an average annual pay of $48,472, or $932 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Washington County?
62 7(a) approvals totaling $36.2 m since FY2020, across 11 lenders, with a median approval of $215,400, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.2 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Washington County?
106 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $33.9 m. Multifamily was 1.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Washington 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.
Where do people moving to Washington County come from?
The largest single origin is Bristol city, with 191 households. Arriving households report an average income of $65,517 against $59,291 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Washington 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 Washington 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.
Washington County
Cities and places in Washington.
7 Census places lie wholly or partly in Washington County. All 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abingdon | town | 8,330 | 38 | Wholly in this county |
| Saltville | town | 2,198 | None recorded | 22.0 percent here, 78.0 percent Smyth County |
| Glade Spring | town | 2,135 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Emory | CDP | 1,419 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Meadowview | CDP | 871 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Damascus | town | 772 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Mendota | CDP | 262 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 18 of the county's 62 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Washington County, the largest being Bristol (16), Little Rock (1), Chilhowie (1). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.