Wise County, Virginia
County seat: Wise · Population 34,824 (2025) · 403 sq mi
Wise County is the 49th most populous of Virginia's 133 counties, with 34,824 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Wise. It is part of the LENOWISCO Planning District Commission (PD 1) region, one of the 21 Planning District Commissions of Virginia. The map shows its 6 cities and towns and the 8 neighboring counties.
Wise County facts
- County seat
- Wise
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 34,824 −3.6% since 2020
- Land area
- 403 sq mi 44th largest of 133
- Water area
- 2 sq mi
- Population density
- 86 per sq mi
- Established
- 1856
- Named after
- Henry A. Wise United States Congressman and governor of Virginia (1806-1876)
- Largest city
- Big Stone Gap 5,102
- Median household income
- $52,943
- Cities and towns
- 6 plus 8 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 8
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 51195
Cities and towns in Wise County
Wise County has 6 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Wise County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Stone Gap | Town | 5,102 | |
| Wise (county seat) | Town | 2,853 | |
| Coeburn | Town | 1,535 | |
| Appalachia | Town | 1,369 | |
| Pound | Town | 836 | |
| St. Paul | Town | 672 | Russell County |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| East Stone Gap | 683 | |
| Riverview | 607 | |
| Big Stone Gap East | 567 | |
| The University of Virginia's College at Wise | 489 | |
| Stonega | 151 | |
| Tacoma | 131 | |
| Dunbar | 115 | |
| Osaka | 74 |
ZIP codes in Wise County
8 ZIP codes reach into Wise County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 24216
- 24219 also Lee and Scott counties
- 24230 also Dickenson and Scott counties
- 24246
- 24273 also Norton city
- 24279
- 24283 also Russell and Dickenson counties
- 24293
Population of Wise County, 2020–2025
Wise County shrank by 1,302 people (−3.6%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,329 more deaths than births and a net gain of 39 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 36,072 |
| 2021 | 35,700 |
| 2022 | 35,341 |
| 2023 | 35,194 |
| 2024 | 35,035 |
| 2025 | 34,824 |
Neighboring counties
- Letcher County, Kentucky northwest · 19,952 people
- Scott County south · 21,200 people
- Dickenson County northeast · 13,236 people
- Norton city south · 3,477 people
- Russell County east · 25,332 people
- Lee County southwest · 21,642 people
- Harlan County, Kentucky west · 24,725 people
- Pike County, Kentucky north · 54,721 people
Printable Wise 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) (113 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (94 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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