Humid subtropical
Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Wise County, Virginia · Population 5.2k · 1,539 ft elevation
Living in Big Stone Gap
Big Stone Gap has a humid subtropical climate: hot summers (July highs around 84°F) and cold winters (January lows around 24°F).
Precipitation is very wet at about 56″ a year, and it sees only a dusting of snow (9″ a season).
Skies are partly sunny (57% of possible sunshine). Summers get sticky, with about 31 muggy days a year.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 40 and virtually no unhealthy-air days.
There is plenty to explore outdoors around Big Stone Gap: about 7% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 1,600 ft around town.
Big Stone Gap at a glance
- Population
- 5.2k
- Elevation
- 1,539 ft
- Average daily high
- 66°F50th percentile
- Average daily low
- 43°F36th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 56″90th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 9″44th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,557 hrs19th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4038th percentile
- Median home value
- $170k25th percentile
- Median rent
- $823/mo16th percentile
- Median household income
- $51k17th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.64%20th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 5.8%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 5.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.5%
- Homes with broadband
- 84%16th percentile
- Walkability index
- 8.448th percentile
- Average commute
- 19 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 94%100th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 84%
- Violent crime rate
- 139 per 100k41th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 1,287 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 5011th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 8282th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 23%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 7%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 1,608 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44°F | 24°F | 4.9″ | 3.1″ | 134 hrs |
| Feb | 48°F | 26°F | 5.0″ | 2.9″ | 127 hrs |
| Mar | 57°F | 32°F | 5.4″ | 1.3″ | 182 hrs |
| Apr | 67°F | 41°F | 5.0″ | — | 225 hrs |
| May | 75°F | 50°F | 5.1″ | — | 260 hrs |
| Jun | 81°F | 59°F | 4.6″ | — | 292 hrs |
| Jul | 84°F | 63°F | 5.5″ | — | 291 hrs |
| Aug | 83°F | 62°F | 4.5″ | — | 284 hrs |
| Sep | 79°F | 55°F | 3.8″ | — | 243 hrs |
| Oct | 69°F | 42°F | 3.1″ | — | 207 hrs |
| Nov | 57°F | 32°F | 3.7″ | 0.1″ | 179 hrs |
| Dec | 47°F | 27°F | 5.5″ | 1.8″ | 134 hrs |
Near Big Stone Gap
- Norton, VA · 3.6k
- Wise, VA · 2.9k
- Bristol, VA · 17k
- Lebanon, VA · 3.1k
- Abingdon, VA · 8.3k
- Richlands, VA · 5.2k
- Marion, VA · 5.7k
- Tazewell, VA · 4.4k
Largest places in Virginia
- Virginia Beach, VA · 457k
- Chesapeake, VA · 251k
- Arlington, VA · 235k
- Norfolk, VA · 235k
- Richmond, VA · 228k
- Newport News, VA · 185k
- Alexandria, VA · 157k
- Hampton, VA · 137k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology