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Galax City, VA

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
101
1% above the U.S. average
Median home value
$126,800
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+57.3%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$692
national $1,348
Homeownership
62%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.7%
national 3.6%
Household income
$41,438
national $78,538
Median age
41.9 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the statewide price level for Virginia (state avg).

The cost of living runs about 1% above the national average. The median home is valued at $126,800 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 57% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $692 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.7% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $41,438. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Galax City, VA saw a net loss of 15 tax-filing households and a net loss of 14 individuals. Against a population of about 6,717, that is a net outflow of about 2.1 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $714K in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 79 households, came from Carroll County; the largest outflow, about 123 households, went to Carroll County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 24 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$714K
nominal dollars
Net households
-15
tax returns
Net people
-14
exemptions

-2.1 net people per 1,000 residents (population 6,717)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$10M
Moved out$10.7M
Net -$714K (nominal)
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Galax City within Virginia

Galax City is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Virginia counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
Loading map…

Where movers came from

  1. 1Carroll County, VA79$3.3M
  2. 2Grayson County, VA55$1.7M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Carroll County, VA123$4.9M
  2. 2Grayson County, VA53$2M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Carroll County, VA79123-44-$1.7M
Grayson County, VA5553+2-$317K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$10.2M (-341 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$49K+156
2013+$1.4M+74
2014-$1.7M-153
2015-$2.4M-78
2016-$1.4M-124
2017-$2.5M-94
2018+$1.2M-15
2019-$3.7M-54
2020+$1.4M-58
2021-$1.1M-5
2022-$655K+24
2023-$714K-14
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 14 more people left Galax City, VA than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $714K in income (nominal) — in a county of 6,777 people.

Population
6,777
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-2.1
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -21 people.
Net income per resident
−$105
nominal dollars
-$714K total across 6,777 residents.

The rate lets you compare Galax City, VA with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+119
Deaths
-125
Net domestic migration
+64
Net international migration
-1
Total change
+57

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Who lives here

The people of Galax City, VA

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
41.9
years
Median household income
$41,438
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
47% below the U.S. median
College degree
18%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
23.4%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
20 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
87%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 76%Hispanic 16%Black 5%Asian 0%Other 3%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$126,800
owner-occupied homes
58% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$692
gross rent per month
49% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
62%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+9.3%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+57%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
27new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 41%Multifamily 59%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.7%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
2,958
2,849 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.4%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.5 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Galax City, VA has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20247531,94618R +43.92,717
20207771,83824R +40.22,639
20166811,60392R +38.82,376
20129001,33245R +19.02,277
20081,0521,31733R +11.02,402
20049871,33612R +14.92,335
20009961,16057R +7.42,213

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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