Grayson County
Land Area: 443 square miles
Population (2000): 17,917

The Grayson County landscape is characterized by high pastures and deep hollows, watered by the New River and its tributaries. To the east, the land rises into the scenic heights of the Blue Ridge Mountains. To the west are heights that are more spectacular but seen less often - Mount Rogers, Whitetop Mountain, and the Iron Mountains. The New River lowlands contrast sharply with the peaks of Iron to create a storybook landscape of unmatched beauty.

Major elements of the economy include manufacturing, service industries, trade, agriculture, and transfer payments (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits.) Major manufacturers in the area include: Darco (fiberglass gaskets), Robert Shaw Controls (compressors), Comp-Air (compressors), McAllister Mills (woven fiberglass fabric), Donkenny Apparel, and Nautilus (bow-flex exercise machines).

There are two small towns in Grayson County - Independence (pop. 971), which is the seat of government, and Troutdale (pop. 1,230). Three outdoor recreation centers are within 20 miles of the county seat - Grayson Highlands State Park, New River Trail State Park, and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. These parks have facilities for camping, picnicking, hiking, biking, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, and horseback riding. Mount Rogers is the highest peak in Virginia.

Death rates from several common causes are higher in Grayson County than in Virginia - e.g., heart disease (+21%), stroke (+8%), chronic lower respiratory diseases (+12%), unintentional injury (+84%), pneumonia and influenza (+84%), and diabetes mellitus (+7%). Death rates from other common causes are lower in Grayson than in Virginia : cancer (-6%), suicide (-20%), septicemia (-2%), chronic liver disease (-30%), nephritis and nephrosis (-7%), and Alzheimer's disease (-1%).
The total pregnancy rate for women aged 15-44 in Grayson County is 26% lower than in Virginia overall. The teen pregnancy rate is 12% lower than in Virginia . Women in Grayson County are just as likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester as women in Virginia as a whole. Babies born to residents of Grayson are 14% less likely to be low birth weight than babies in Virginia and the infant mortality rate in Grayson County is 30% lower than the Virginia rate.

The population of Grayson County is less prosperous than the population of Virginia as a whole. The poverty rate in Grayson is 42% higher than in Virginia and the per capita income for Grayson Countians is only 70% of the per capita income for Virginians. Proportionately fewer people in Grayson County are in the labor force and the proportion of Grayson Countians over the age of 25 without a high school diploma is 94% higher than in Virginia. Improved access to primary care should improve the health status of the Grayson County population.

 

Population Health
Grayson Virginia
Disabled Population, Ages 5-20 (2000) 11.0% 8.1%
Disabled Population, Ages 21-64 (2000) 24.8% 17.5%
Disabled Population, Ages 65+ (2000) 48.2% 42.1%
     
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diseases of the Heart 263.9 218.0
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Malignant Neoplasms 179.0 190.0
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Cerebrovascular Diseases 62.8 58.3
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - COPD 44.1 39.2
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Unintentional Injury 60.3 32.8
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Pneumonia and Influenza 41.7 22.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diabetes Mellitus 23.3 21.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Suicide 8.9 11.1
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Septicemia 15.1 15.4
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Nephritis and Nephrosis 14.5 15.6
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis 5.4 7.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Alzheimers Disease 15.7 15.9
     
Total Pregnancy Terminations (Residents) Per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44 (1998 - 2002 avg.) 61.3 82.6
Teenage Pregnancies Per 1,000 Females Aged 10-19 (1998 - 2002 avg.) 27.4 31.3
Percent of Resident Live Births Beginning Prenatal Care in 1st Trimester (1998 - 2002 avg.) 83.7% 84.8%
Low Weight Live Births as a Percent of Total Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) 6.8% 7.9%
Resident Infant Deaths Per 1,000 Lives Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) 5.0 7.2
     
Economic Indicators    
Population with Medicaid (2004) 18.8% 10.8%
Poverty Rate (2000) 13.6% 9.6%
Per Capita Income (2000) $16,768 $23,975
Population Aged 16+ in Labor Force (2000) 55.3% 66.8%
Population Aged 25+ w/o High School Diploma (2000) 35.9% 18.5%
     
Employment By Industry    
Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Fishing, Hunting 4.8% 1.3%
Construction 7.0% 7.3%
Manufacturing 34.4% 11.3%
Retail and Wholesale Trade 12.3% 14.1%
Transportation and Warehousing and Utilities 4.3% 4.6%
Information 0.9% 3.8%
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing 2.9% 6.6%
Professional, Scientific, Management, Adminstrative, and Waste Management Services 3.4% 11.6%
Education, Health, and Social Services 18.7% 18.3%
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services 4.3% 7.2%
Public Administration 3.0% 8.3%
Other Services 4.1% 5.4%

Links
Grayson County - http://www.ls.net/~grayson/
Grayson County - http://www.mrpdc.org/econ_stats.htm
Independence (town) - http://www.city-data.com/city/Independence-Virginia.html
Troutdale (town) - http://www.city-data.com/city/Troutdale-Virginia.html
Mount Rogers Health District - http://www.vdh.state.va.us/LHD/mtrogers/index.asp