21,780 people (2024 Census estimate, −1.5% since 2020)
435 square miles of land · 50 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
15 active community water systems list Lee County in the area they serve, reporting 18,733 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| WOODWAY WATER AUTHORITY buys surface water · local government · VA1105900 | 3,800 served |
| LCPSA- KVS surface water · local government · VA1105405 | 2,130 served |
| LCPSA-BLUE SPRINGS groundwater (surface-influenced) · local government · VA1105400 | 1,968 served |
| DRYDEN WATER AUTHORITY buys surface water · local government · VA1105100 | 1,922 served |
| PENNINGTON GAP, TOWN OF surface water · local government · VA1105500 | 1,781 served |
| JONESVILLE, TOWN OF groundwater (surface-influenced) · local government · VA1105200 | 1,693 served |
| LEE COUNTY PSA/ST. CHARLES buys surface water · local government · VA1105800 | 1,390 served |
| LEE COUNTY PSA/EASTERN LEE buys surface water · local government · VA1105125 | 1,297 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 143 people were held in Lee County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 1,068 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 188.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
1 school district has its office in Lee County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $51.5 million — $44.6 million to run schools, about $15,131 per student, plus $6.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6.7 million local (mostly property tax), $33.7 million state, $13.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $997,000.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Lee County about $11.4 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
153 bridges in Lee County: 34 in good condition, 107 fair, and 12 poor (7.8%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| ROUTE 421 over STONE CREEK · built 1935 | 1,369 vehicles a day |
| ROUTE 70 over POWELL RIVER · built 1962 | 741 vehicles a day |
| ROUTE 764 over CANE CREEK · built 1968 | 567 vehicles a day |
| RED FLETCHER ROAD over DRY CREEK · built 1938 | 250 vehicles a day |
| BEULAH ROAD over INDIAN CREEK · built 1961 | 176 vehicles a day |
| ROUTE 0765 over BRANCH · built 1995 | 139 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $14.8 million of work in Lee County in fiscal 2025, about $666 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting: 2026-09-18 to 2026-10-31. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-23. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Virginia Department of Elections: upcoming elections · Virginia Department of Elections: voter FAQ · Virginia Department of Elections: absentee voting
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Lee County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Lee County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Virginia: the state government and every county in Virginia.
Nearby counties: Harlan County, KY (12 mi) · Hancock County, TN (14 mi) · Hawkins County, TN (20 mi) · Scott County (29 mi) · Leslie County, KY (30 mi) · Bell County, KY (31 mi).