† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupBig Stone GapVirginiaUnited States
American17.8%8.4%5.3%
English12.5%12.0%9.5%
Irish11.1%9.1%9.4%
German7.0%10.1%12.5%
Scottish1.7%1.9%1.3%
Scotch-Irish1.6%——
Italian0.9%3.9%4.8%
Dutch0.6%——
African American†15.6%15.6%9.9%
African1.1%0.9%0.5%
Mexican1.3%2.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.3%1.4%1.8%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Big Stone Gap
Virginia
United States
Median age
41
39.3
39.1
Age 18–24
6.3%
9.2%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
17.8%
16.7%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Big Stone Gap
Virginia
United States
Median household income
$54,581
$93,170
$84,427
Poverty rate
26.2%
10.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
15.8%
42.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Big Stone Gap
Virginia
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
3.5%
17.5%
22.3%
Spanish
2.7%
7.9%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Big Stone Gap
Virginia
United States
Catholic
—
10.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
19.9%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
54.3%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Big Stone Gap, Virginia
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−12.7%
2008
−21.6%
2012
−38.3%
2016
−52.7%
2020
−50.9%
2024
−50.9%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004, 2020 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for these cycles was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
24.3%Harris463
75.2%Trump1,434
0.5%
R+50.9
±0.0
R+49.4
1,907
R
24.3%Biden460
75.1%Trump1,424
0.6%
R+50.9
D+1.8
R+55.3
1,895
R
22.2%Clinton386
74.9%Trump1,301
2.8%
R+52.7
R+14.4
R+54.8
1,736
R
30.2%Obama544
68.5%Romney1,233
1.2%
R+38.3
R+16.7
R+42.2
1,799
R
38.3%Obama641
59.9%McCain1,002
1.7%
R+21.6
R+8.9
R+28.9
1,672
R
43.0%Kerry733
55.7%Bush949
1.3%
R+12.7
—
R+10.2
1,705
Big Stone Gap anchors Wise County in the heart of Virginia's coalfields, where decades of mining-industry decline have realigned a once-competitive electorate into one of the most Republican-leaning corners of the state.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 52.7 points in 2016. The 2024 margin was 50.9 points.
A population of 5,162, a 74% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $54,581 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Richlands and Trenton.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Big Stone Gap, Virginia voted Republican by 50.9 points (R+50.9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 1,907 votes cast, 463 went Democratic and 1,434 went Republican.
How many people live in Big Stone Gap, Virginia?
Big Stone Gap, Virginia has a population of 5,162 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Big Stone Gap, Virginia?
Median household income in Big Stone Gap, Virginia is $54,581 — below the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of Big Stone Gap, Virginia?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Big Stone Gap, Virginia from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
