Wythe County
Land Area: 463 square miles
Population (2000): 27,599

The broad and beautiful Tennessee Valley extends through Wythe County and lends the landscape a distinctly pastoral appearance. Big Walker Mountain forms the northern border of the county and remnants of the Iron Mountains run along the southern border. Lick Mountain pushes through the central valley floor and the New River meanders through the county to the southeast. The landscape is varied and very, very lovely.

Major elements of the economy are manufacturing, trade, service industries, and transfer payments (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits). Agriculture also contributes significantly to the local economy. In 1995, the largest employers were Wythe County Community Hospital, Textron (bolts, nuts, rivets, washers), Emerson Electric (process control instruments), the school board, and Kingston Warren (mechanical rubber goods.)

There are three small towns in Wythe County - Ft. Chiswell (pop. 911), Rural Retreat (pop. 1,350), and Wytheville (pop. 7,804). Local attractions include the Shot Tower Park, the Rock House Museum, Rural Retreat Lake, Wolf Creek Golf & Country Club, Wytheville Golf Club, and the Wythe Raceway. Outdoor enthusiasts can camp, picnic, hike, bike, swim, fish, or canoe at several recreation areas within a 30 mile radius of the Wythe county seat: the Claytor Lake, New River Trail, and Hungry Mother state parks, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, and the Jefferson National Forest.

Death rates from several common causes are higher in Wythe County than in Virginia - e.g., heart disease (+17%), cancer (+8%), chronic lower respiratory diseases (+51%), unintentional injury (+48%), pneumonia and influenza (+26%), diabetes mellitus (+112%), chronic liver disease (+25%), suicide (+65%), nephritis and nephrosis (+25%), and Alzheimer's disease (+26%). Death rates from stroke (-11%) and septicemia (-20%) are lower in Wythe County than in Virginia overall.

The total pregnancy rate among women aged 15-44 in Wythe County is 19% lower than in Virginia . The teen pregnancy rate is 3% lower in Wythe than in Virginia . Women in the county are 5% more likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester than women in Virginia overall. Babies born to Wythe County residents are 5% more likely to be low birth weight and 12% more likely to die during the first year of life than babies born to Virginia residents as a whole.

The population of Wythe County is less prosperous than the population of Virginia. The poverty rate in Wythe County is 15% higher than the corresponding rate in Virginia. The per capita income of Wythe Countians is only 74% of the per capita income of Virginians. The proportion of people in Wythe County over the age of 25 without a high school diploma is 61% higher than in Virginia. Given the relative poverty and poor health status of the population, it seems clear that Wythe Countians stand to benefit from increased and sustained access to primary care.

 


Population Health
Wythe Virginia
Disabled Population, Ages 5-20 (2000) 6.9% 8.1%
Disabled Population, Ages 21-64 (2000) 23.6% 17.5%
Disabled Population, Ages 65+ (2000) 48.5% 42.1%
     
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diseases of the Heart 256.0 218.0
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Malignant Neoplasms 204.8 190.0
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Cerebrovascular Diseases 68.9 58.3
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - COPD 59.2 39.2
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Unintentional Injury 48.5 32.8
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Pneumonia and Influenza 28.6 22.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diabetes Mellitus 46.1 21.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Suicide 18.3 11.1
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Septicemia 12.3 15.4
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Nephritis and Nephrosis 19.5 15.6
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis 9.7 7.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Alzheimers Disease 23.9 15.9
     
Total Pregnancy Terminations (Residents) Per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44 (1998 - 2002 avg.) 68.7 82.6
Teenage Pregnancies Per 1,000 Females Aged 10-19 (1998 - 2002 avg.) 30.2 31.3
Percent of Resident Live Births Beginning Prenatal Care in 1st Trimester (1998 - 2002 avg.) 89.0% 84.8%
Low Weight Live Births as a Percent of Total Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) 8.3% 7.9%
Resident Infant Deaths Per 1,000 Lives Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) 8.1 7.2
     
Economic Indicators    
Population with Medicaid (2004) 17.3% 10.8%
Poverty Rate (2000) 11.0% 9.6%
Per Capita Income (2000) $17,639 $23,975
Population Aged 16+ in Labor Force (2000) 61.9% 66.8%
Population Aged 25+ w/o High School Diploma (2000) 29.8% 18.5%
     
Employment By Industry    
Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Fishing, Hunting 3.3% 1.3%
Construction 6.7% 7.3%
Manufacturing 24.5% 11.3%
Retail and Wholesale Trade 16.6% 14.1%
Transportation and Warehousing and Utilities 4.4% 4.6%
Information 1.8% 3.8%
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing 2.8% 6.6%
Professional, Scientific, Management, Adminstrative, and Waste Management Services 3.8% 11.6%
Education, Health, and Social Services 18.4% 18.3%
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services 9.6% 7.2%
Public Administration 4.2% 8.3%
Other Services 3.9% 5.4%

Links
Wythe County - http://wythe.pcsos.com/
Wythe County - http://www.mrpdc.org/econ_stats.htm
Wytheville Community College - http://www.wc.cc.va.us/
Wytheville (town) - http://www.wytheville.org/
Rural Retreat (town) - http://www.townofruralretreat.com/
Wythe County Community Hospital - http://www.wcch.org/
Mount Rogers Health District - http://www.vdh.state.va.us/LHD/mtrogers/index.asp