Population 9,384 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Wise
Household size in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.50 | 2.63 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.36 | 2.68 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.33 | 2.68 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.38 | 2.62 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.13 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Wise are small: just 2.38 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Household size has dropped from 2.50 in 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.8 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 37.9 | 39.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 39.9 | 40.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.6 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +0.8 | +2.1 | +2.3 |
At 38.6, the median age in Wise is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. The population here is younger than in Virginia as a whole, where the median age is 40.3. Since 2006–10, the median age has crept up from 37.8, as it has nationally.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.2% | 11.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 8.8% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 8.8% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 13.7% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +4.5 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in seven households in Wise (13.7%), above the national share of 11.6%. The single-parent share has risen 4.5 points since 2006–10, even as the national share fell.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Wise
Renters in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 26.0% | 31.1% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 30.5% | 33.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 31.0% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 25.3% | 32.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | −0.7 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Wise own their homes; 25.3% rent, below the national share of 34.8%. Nearly six in ten owners (57.1%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the southeast; owners are most common in the northwest. The renter share has edged down 0.7 points since 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.9% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 15.4% | 10.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 12.7% | 9.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 10.4% | 8.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.5 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in Wise is close to the national rate: 10.4% of homes are empty, against 9.6%. The rate is higher than in Virginia as a whole (8.7%). Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 2.5 points, mirroring the country.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1978 | 1978 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1980 | 1980 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1982 | 1981 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1987 | 1984 | 1980 |
| Change | +9 | +5 | +6 |
Homes in Wise are newer than the national norm: the median home was built in 1987, versus 1980 across the U.S. The median year built has moved up from 1978 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the northeast, the oldest in the south.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $552 | $1,143 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $623 | $1,238 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $664 | $1,436 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $782 | $1,743 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$230 | +$600 | +$606 |
Rent in Wise runs $782 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $230 a month since 2006–10, up 42%, a slower climb than the nation's. The typical renter here spends 24.7% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. Of the 243 Virginia cities with 5,000+ people, only 13 have lower rents.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Wise
Bachelor's degrees in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.0% | 35.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 18.7% | 36.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 20.5% | 39.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 23.1% | 42.5% | 35.6% |
| Change | +8.1 pts | +7.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Wise have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 23.1%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree has risen 8.1 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the northeast and least in the northwest.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 74.4% | 86.8% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 81.1% | 88.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 81.0% | 89.9% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 85.9% | 91.6% | 89.3% |
| Change | +11.5 pts | +4.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in seven adults in Wise never finished high school, more than nationally: 85.9% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S. The share with a diploma is up 11.5 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country. Wise has a lower share of high school graduates than the great majority of Virginia cities.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Wise
| Period | Wise | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.6% | 6.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 11.6% | 7.0% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.2% | 4.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.3% | 4.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | +0.7 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been harder to find in Wise than nationally: unemployment was 7.3%, against 5.4%. Only nine of the 243 Virginia cities with 5,000+ people have higher unemployment. Unemployment has edged up 0.7 points since 2006–10, even as the national rate fell.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Wise compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wise | 2.38 | 38.6 | 13.7% | 25.3% | 10.4% | 1987 | $782 | 23.1% | 85.9% | 7.3% |
| Stephens | 2.14 | 52.1 | 5.3% | 17.3% | 26.4% | 1983 | $946 | 9.2% | 67.9% | 15.4% |
| Tacoma | 2.53 | 39.7 | 15.7% | 28.4% | 13.9% | 1979 | $808 | 20.4% | 75.6% | 14.1% |
| Norton | 2.31 | 43.3 | 14.9% | 39.1% | 11.8% | 1976 | $652 | 14.0% | 88.8% | 4.9% |
| Round Top | 2.53 | 45.8 | 10.5% | 20.5% | 19.7% | 1986 | $822 | 16.1% | 85.0% | 13.1% |
| Cranes Nest | 2.23 | 51.0 | 9.7% | 29.7% | 21.9% | 1981 | $778 | 13.8% | 80.0% | 12.2% |
| Lipps | 1.84 | 61.7 | 3.9% | 14.9% | 14.3% | 1981 | $916 | 7.8% | 69.2% | 8.2% |
| Coeburn | 2.43 | 42.9 | 11.2% | 23.6% | 23.0% | 1982 | $847 | 14.2% | 75.2% | 11.2% |
| Toms Creek | 2.19 | 51.5 | 9.5% | 29.5% | 22.1% | 1981 | $773 | 14.1% | 80.1% | 11.4% |
| Dewey | 2.26 | 50.4 | 6.1% | 4.2% | 18.1% | 1987 | $945 | 7.4% | 70.2% | 6.2% |
| Leck | 2.28 | 53.2 | 7.0% | 8.4% | 25.3% | 1981 | $611 | 12.8% | 79.3% | 0.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Rutledge, TN · Roscommon, MI · Rotonda, FL · Round Hill, VA · Round Lake Park, IL · Roxborough Park, CO · Ruidoso, NM · Rumford, RI · Rumson, NJ · Runnemede, NJ
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Wise. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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