Russell County
Land Area: 475 square miles
Population (2000): 30,308

Russell County once boasted the largest cattle ranches east of the Mississippi, and the high mountain pastures of the Clinch River Valley are a legacy of those days. Clinch Mountain forms the southern border of the county and the northern section stretches onto the coal-bearing hills of the Cumberland Plateau. Western Russell County rests on a high, open, relatively level plateau amid a circle of mountains that are rendered ethereal by distance. It is a beautiful place.

Service industries, manufacturing, trade, agriculture and mining, and transfer income (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits), are major elements of the Russell County economy. In 1995, the largest employers in the county were the Lear Corporation (automotive stampings), the public schools, Clinchfield Coal Company, the Russell County Medical Center, and Lebanon Apparel.

There are several small towns in Russell County, including Castlewood (pop. 2,036), Cleveland (pop. 148), Honaker (pop. 945), and Lebanon (pop. 3,273), which serves as the seat of local government. Outdoor recreation enthusiasts can hike, bike, camp, picnic, fish, hunt, boat, and ride horses in a number of recreation areas - Guest River Gorge, Falls of the Little Stony, Hanging Rock Trail, the Devil's Bathtub, and the Clinch River.

Death rates from several common causes are much higher in Russell County than in Virginia - e.g., heart disease (+14%), cancer (+3%), stroke (+11%), chronic lower respiratory diseases (+100%), unintentional injury (+109%), pneumonia and influenza (+79%), diabetes mellitus (+34%), chronic liver disease (+100%), nephritis and nephrosis (+6%), and suicide (+100%). Among common causes, only the death rates from septicemia (-40%) and Alzheimer's disease (-42%) are lower in Russell County than in Virginia as a whole.

The total pregnancy rate for women aged 15-44 in Russell County is 34% lower than in Virginia . The teen pregnancy rate in Russell County is 10% lower than in Virginia . Women in Russell County women are 4% more likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester than women in Virginia overall. Babies born to Russell County residents are 6% more likely to be low birth weight than babies born to Virginia residents. The infant mortality rate in Russell County is 26% lower than the infant mortality rate in Virginia .

The population of Russell County is less prosperous than the population of Virginia. Russell County's unemployment rate is 70% higher than Virginia's unemployment rate and the per capita income of Russell Countians is only 62% of the per capita income for Virginians. Proportionately fewer Russell Countians are in the work force and a much smaller percentage of Russell Countians have graduated from high school than Virginians in general. The relative poverty and poor health status of the population points to the need for increased access to primary care in Russell County.

Population Health
Russell Virginia
Disabled Population, Ages 5-20 (2000) 8.7% 8.1%
Disabled Population, Ages 21-64 (2000) 33.4% 17.5%
Disabled Population, Ages 65+ (2000) 47.6% 42.1%
     
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diseases of the Heart 248.0 218.0
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Malignant Neoplasms 196.6 190.0
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Cerebrovascular Diseases 64.9 58.3
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - COPD 78.6 39.2
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Unintentional Injury 68.8 32.8
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Pneumonia and Influenza 40.7 22.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Diabetes Mellitus 29.0 21.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Suicide 25.4 11.1
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Septicemia 9.2 15.4
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Nephritis and Nephrosis 16.6 15.6
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis 15.4 7.7
Age Adjusted Death Rate Per 100,000 Population (1998 - 2002 avg.) - Alzheimers Disease 9.3 15.9
     
Total Pregnancy Terminations (Residents) Per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44 (1998 - 2002 avg.) 54.6 82.6
Teenage Pregnancies Per 1,000 Females Aged 10-19 (1998 - 2002 avg.) 28.2 31.3
Percent of Resident Live Births Beginning Prenatal Care in 1st Trimester (1998 - 2002 avg.) 87.9% 84.8%
Low Weight Live Births as a Percent of Total Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) 8.4% 7.9%
Resident Infant Deaths Per 1,000 Lives Births (1998 - 2002 avg.) 5.3 7.2
     
Economic Indicators    
Population with Medicaid (2004) 23.7% 10.8%
Poverty Rate (2000) 16.3% 9.6%
Per Capita Income (2000) $14,863 $23,975
Population Aged 16+ in Labor Force (2000) 47.2% 66.8%
Population Aged 25+ w/o High School Diploma (2000) 37.5% 18.5%
     
Employment By Industry    
Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Fishing, Hunting 9.5% 1.3%
Construction 8.3% 7.3%
Manufacturing 17.8% 11.3%
Retail and Wholesale Trade 13.7% 14.1%
Transportation and Warehousing and Utilities 7.5% 4.6%
Information 1.2% 3.8%
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing 3.1% 6.6%
Professional, Scientific, Management, Adminstrative, and Waste Management Services 5.1% 11.6%
Education, Health, and Social Services 20.0% 18.3%
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services 3.9% 7.2%
Public Administration 5.1% 8.3%
Other Services 4.7% 5.4%

Links
Russell County - http://www.russellcountyva.org/
Russell County - http://www.vaswpromise.com/
Russell County - http://www.cppdc.org/index.htm
Cumberland Plateau Health District - http://www.vdh.state.va.us/LHD/cumbplat/cumbplat.htm
Russell County Medical Center - http://www.rcmc.net/
Lebanon (town) - http://www.city-data.com/city/Lebanon-Virginia.html