Buchanan County, Virginia
County seat: Grundy · Population 18,492 (2025) · 503 sq mi
Buchanan County is the 84th most populous of Virginia's 133 counties, with 18,492 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Grundy. It is part of the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission (PD 2) region, one of the 21 Planning District Commissions of Virginia. The map shows its 1 city or town and the 6 neighboring counties.
Buchanan County facts
- County seat
- Grundy
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 18,492 −9.1% since 2020
- Land area
- 503 sq mi 24th largest of 133
- Water area
- 1 sq mi
- Population density
- 37 per sq mi
- Established
- 1858
- Same name
- One of 3 Buchanan Counties in the US
- Named after
- James Buchanan president of the United States from 1857 to 1861
- Largest city
- Grundy 815
- Median household income
- $42,886
- Cities and towns
- 1 plus 3 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 16
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 51027
Cities and towns in Buchanan County
Buchanan County has 1 incorporated place. Populations count the people living inside Buchanan County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grundy (county seat) | Town | 815 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Vansant | 551 | |
| Big Rock | 384 | |
| Breaks | 197 | Dickenson County |
ZIP codes in Buchanan County
16 ZIP codes reach into Buchanan County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 24217 also Dickenson County
- 24239
- 24256 also Dickenson County
- 24260 also Russell County
- 24603
- 24607 also Dickenson County
- 24614
- 24620
- 24622 also Tazewell County
- 24631
- 24634
- 24639 also Tazewell and Russell counties
- 24646
- 24649 also Russell County
- 24656
- 24657
Population of Buchanan County, 2020–2025
Buchanan County shrank by 1,851 people (−9.1%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,067 more deaths than births and a net loss of 792 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 20,247 |
| 2021 | 19,883 |
| 2022 | 19,318 |
| 2023 | 18,981 |
| 2024 | 18,723 |
| 2025 | 18,492 |
Neighboring counties
- McDowell County, West Virginia east · 16,878 people
- Dickenson County southwest · 13,236 people
- Pike County, Kentucky northwest · 54,721 people
- Russell County south · 25,332 people
- Tazewell County east · 38,635 people
- Mingo County, West Virginia north · 21,455 people
Printable Buchanan County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (116 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (102 KB)
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Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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