RANK #628 / 1001 NAT · #18 / 37 VA · POP 55,312
1YR FORECAST: -1.0%
5YR OUTLOOK: +26%
The village of Rustburg, the county seat, was established in 1784 when Jeremiah Rust donated land for a courthouse. Campbell County, Virginia, located in the south-central Piedmont region, borders the independent city of Lynchburg to its north. Commutes to Lynchburg are typically short, around 10-15 minutes. The county's landscape features rolling hills and proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering outdoor recreation opportunities like hiking trails and access to the Staunton River and Leesville Lake for fishing and paddling.
Life in Campbell County offers a blend of rural and suburban living, with many residents owning their homes. The public school system is above average, with all schools fully accredited. The economy, historically rooted in agriculture, particularly tobacco, has diversified. Recent economic developments include investments in industrial infrastructure, such as a new industrial building in Seneca Commerce Park, and a focus on attracting new businesses and supporting existing manufacturing operations. The county also emphasizes agribusiness and small business support.
Campbell County's data profile doesn't fit any single market profile cleanly — its housing, labor, and demographic signals pull in different directions (home prices +1.5% YoY, population -0.2%, wages +30.7%). About 414 U.S. counties show this kind of mixed-signal pattern.
See all 414 Idiosyncratic Markets counties →Overvalued relative to economy
Below national median
Below-average climate & terrain
Below national median (15x)
Housing looks overvalued at 8.3x — home prices are high relative to local economic output. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Estimated local headcount ranges. Larger employers shown as floor + "+"; smaller employers show exact counts where reported.
Bars show trailing 12-month growth. The dashed Forecast bars are the model's next-12-month projection; the whisker marks the ±1% range (cooling–accelerating).
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
Source: CDC/NCHS vital statistics via County Health Rankings (2020–2022 avg). Rates per 100,000 population. Grade based on homicide rate relative to national average (~6.3). Learn more →
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
|
Altavista Solar Farm
Apex Clean Energy (developer), DEPCOM Power (EPC)
|
$80M | Operating |
|
Gladys Solar
Energix Renewables
|
$53M | Planned |
|
BWXT Innovation Campus
BWX Technologies, Inc.
|
$50M | Under Construction |
|
Holiday Inn Express & Restaurant Development
Daly 7 Hospitality Group
|
$50M | Proposed |
Source: public records, news, corporate announcements. Amounts are estimates where noted.
Bars show percentile rank among all 1001 counties.
At 37/100, Campbell County faces headwinds that place it in the lower third of the 1001 counties we track. Median income of $66,165 combined with job growth of +1.2% suggests the local economy is struggling to keep pace with national trends.
Housing in Campbell County is roughly in line with national affordability norms. The median home costs $211,600 and the income-to-home-value ratio sits at 0.31, with rents averaging $891/month. Not a bargain, but not a stretch for most local earners either.
Employers in Campbell County are hiring — job growth of +1.2% — but the population is close to flat (-0.2% YoY). Home values moved +1.5% over the past year. Labor demand is outpacing local population growth, which tends to tighten wages and housing.
In significant numbers — 6.46% of Campbell County's current population relocated from another state, well above the national norm. That level of in-migration usually signals a county where jobs, affordability, or quality of life are pulling people in from elsewhere.