25,420 people (2024 Census estimate, −1.3% since 2020)
474 square miles of land · 54 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.
14 active community water systems list Russell County in the area they serve, reporting 18,476 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CASTLEWOOD - RCPSA groundwater (surface-influenced) · local government · VA1167050 | 5,565 served |
| LEBANON, TOWN OF surface water · local government · VA1167455 | 3,458 served |
| SWORDS CREEK - RCPSA buys surface water · local government · VA1167900 | 3,233 served |
| HONAKER, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · VA1167300 | 2,250 served |
| BELFAST - RCPSA buys surface water · local government · VA1167051 | 1,575 served |
| HANSONVILLE - RCPSA buys surface water · local government · VA1167275 | 1,048 served |
| NEW GARDEN/FINNEY - RCPSA buys groundwater · local government · VA1167540 | 375 served |
| CLEVELAND, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · VA1167115 | 340 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 163 people were held in Russell County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 1,068 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 213.
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 Russell County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $52 million — $48.5 million to run schools, about $14,381 per student, plus $2.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $9.8 million local (mostly property tax), $36.1 million state, $9.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $7.8 million.
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: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Russell County about $8.8 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
135 bridges in Russell County: 39 in good condition, 89 fair, and 7 poor (5.2%). “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.
| RED BUD HWY. over CLINCH RV @ BLACKFORD · built 1945 | 5,886 vehicles a day |
| DRILL RD. over LEWIS CREEK · built 1960 | 1,297 vehicles a day |
| BIG CEDAR CREEK RD over MOUNTAIN BRANCH · built 1952 | 534 vehicles a day |
| OLD HIGHWAY 19 over INDIAN CREEK · built 1913 | 193 vehicles a day |
| CLINCH MOUNTAIN RD over MOCCASIN CREEK · built 1956 | 190 vehicles a day |
| ARNOLD RD. over LEWIS CREEK · built 1932 | 64 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $5.7 million of work in Russell County in fiscal 2025, about $221 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 Russell 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 Russell County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Virginia: the state government and every county in Virginia.
Nearby counties: Washington County (15 mi) · Dickenson County (20 mi) · Bristol city (22 mi) · Buchanan County (23 mi) · Wise County (29 mi) · Norton city (29 mi).