29,137 people (2024 Census estimate, −2.2% since 2020)
451 square miles of land · 65 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 Smyth County in the area they serve, reporting 25,150 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| MARION, TOWN OF surface water · local government · VA1173481 | 8,500 served |
| CHILHOWIE, TOWN OF buys groundwater · local government · VA1173090 | 4,625 served |
| THOMAS BRIDGE WATER CORP surface water · private · VA1173770 | 3,500 served |
| SALTVILLE, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · VA1173723 | 2,204 served |
| WATSONS GAP WATER SYSTEM groundwater · local government · VA1173785 | 1,892 served |
| RYE VALLEY WATER AUTHORITY groundwater (surface-influenced) · local government · VA1173742 | 1,276 served |
| WALKER CREEK buys groundwater · local government · VA1173783 | 1,135 served |
| HUTTON BRANCH groundwater · local government · VA1173300 | 833 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 192 people were held in Smyth County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 1,068 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 246.
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 Smyth County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $63.6 million — $60.5 million to run schools, about $15,196 per student, plus $1.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $15.9 million local (mostly property tax), $42 million state, $9.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $17.4 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: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Smyth County about $14.8 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
189 bridges in Smyth County: 31 in good condition, 151 fair, and 7 poor (3.7%). “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.
| INTERSTATE 81 NBL over M. FORK HOLSTON RIVER · built 1962 | 16,486 vehicles a day |
| INTERSTATE 81 SBL over M. FORK HOLSTON RIVER · built 1962 | 15,197 vehicles a day |
| RAILROAD DRIVE over NS RAILWAY · built 1932 | 949 vehicles a day |
| OLD EBENEZER RD over M FORK HOLSTON RIVER · built 1966 | 868 vehicles a day |
| LAUREL SPRING ROAD over INTERSTATE 81 · built 1962 | 556 vehicles a day |
| CEDAR SPRINGS ROAD over BRANCH · built 1932 | 435 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $22.9 million of work in Smyth County in fiscal 2025, about $768 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 Smyth 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 Smyth County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Virginia: the state government and every county in Virginia.
Nearby counties: Tazewell County (20 mi) · Grayson County (22 mi) · Washington County (24 mi) · Wythe County (26 mi) · Ashe County, NC (28 mi) · Bland County (30 mi).