Housing data for Wise, VA
Wise, VA has an estimated 2,916 residents and 1,484 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Wise County.
28.7% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $825 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−3.0%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 2,916 (±13)
- Housing units
- 1,484 (±248)
- Households that rent
- 28.7%
- Median gross rent
- $825
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −3.0%
What stands out in Wise
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 14.5% (±9.8 points) in Wise, higher than in Wise County (4.0%).
Housing in Wise at a glance
- Median rent: $825 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $773 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 29.6% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 28.7% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $53,596 median household income
- Home values: $144,700 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,176 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $935 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 14.5% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 73.2% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 45.8% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 19.5% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 90.4% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 19.9 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 176 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −3.0% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 20.6% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Wise against Wise County, its state and the nation
| Wise | Wise County | Virginia | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,916 (±13) | 35,448 (exact) | 8,705,170 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 1,484 (±248) | 16,627 (±48) | 3,684,756 (±486) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 28.7% (±10.8 points) | 25.8% (±2.8 points) | 32.7% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $825 (±$108) | $790 (±$34) | $1,579 (±$8) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $53,596 (±$13,891) | $52,943 (±$2,440) | $93,170 (±$458) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $144,700 (±$27,928) | $118,600 (±$6,535) | $383,700 (±$1,024) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $935 (±$455) | $693 (±$61) | $2,790 (±$10) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 45.8% (±16.9 points) | 49.4% (±4.1 points) | 43.5% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 19.9 minutes (±5.1) | 24.6 minutes (±2.1) | 27.3 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 95.1% (±4.7 points) | 84.4% (±2.3 points) | 91.0% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 36.5 years (±7.2) | 41.8 years (±0.5) | 39.0 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Wise covers 3.0 square miles of land, about 960 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Wise has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 3,007 (±46) | 2,916 (±13) | −3.0% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 1,476 (±142) | 1,484 (±248) | +0.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $646 (±$44) | $825 (±$108) | +27.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $136,000 (±$20,942) | $144,700 (±$27,928) | +6.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $49,470 (±$8,778) | $53,596 (±$13,891) | +8.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,178 (±$149) | $1,176 (±$172) | −0.2% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $893 (±$219) | $935 (±$455) | +4.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 41.9% (±8.2 points) | 28.7% (±10.8 points) | −13.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 5.8% (±6.2 points) | 19.5% (±17.1 points) | +13.7 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Wise
In 2025, the Wise Police Department reported 176 violent and 1,653 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Wise County, the departments that report recorded 170 violent and 774 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Wise
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton | 4.0 mi | $692 | $110,000 | 50.0% |
| Coeburn | 6.5 mi | $860 | $112,600 | 30.2% |
| Pound | 10 mi | $775 | $98,100 | 24.2% |
| Dungannon | 12 mi | $569 | $79,200 | 46.0% |
| Appalachia | 13 mi | $766 | $67,100 | 29.2% |
| Big Stone Gap | 13 mi | $797 | $163,000 | 36.7% |
| Jenkins | 14 mi | $455 | $80,200 | 39.6% |
| Clintwood | 14 mi | $714 | $162,800 | 40.9% |
Places in Virginia most like Wise
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilhowie | $802 | $153,600 | $51,429 | 33.3% |
| Clintwood | $714 | $162,800 | $52,083 | 40.9% |
| Coeburn | $860 | $112,600 | $55,104 | 30.2% |
| Collinsville | $746 | $146,700 | $52,158 | 43.2% |
| Bedford | $828 | $222,500 | $70,288 | 30.8% |
| Gate City | $660 | $163,000 | $42,857 | 29.7% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Virginia.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Wise, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $717 | $722 | $943 | $1,262 | $1,460 |
HUD income limits for Wise, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $16,800 | $28,000 | $44,750 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $32,000 | $51,150 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $36,000 | $57,550 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $39,950 | $63,900 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $43,150 | $69,050 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $46,350 | $74,150 |
| 7 people | $49,550 | $49,550 | $79,250 |
| 8 people | $52,750 | $52,750 | $84,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Wise County-Norton city, VA HUD Nonmetro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $64,500.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Wise
What is the average rent in Wise, VA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Wise is $825 (±$108) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Wise?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Wise, VA is $293 (±$110) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Wise?
Wise has an estimated 372 (±156) renting households, 28.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Wise?
The median household income in Wise is $53,596 (±$13,891) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Wise, VA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $144,700 (±$27,928) for owner-occupied homes in Wise (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Wise?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Wise, VA is $1,176 (±$172) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
Is Wise growing?
In Wise, the number of residents went from 3,007 in 2015–2019 to 2,916 in 2020–2024 (−3.0%), a measurable decrease.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wise town, Virginia
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wise town, Virginia
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wise town, Virginia
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wise town, Virginia
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wise town, Virginia
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Wise town, Virginia
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Wise town, Virginia
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Wise County-Norton city, VA HUD Nonmetro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Wise County-Norton city, VA HUD Nonmetro FMR Area
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Wise Police Department (ORI VA0960600)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Wise town, Virginia (place:87072, in state:51).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .