← Map/← Virginia/Counties/Mathews

Mathews
Virginia

9K

Population

$79K

Median Income

$345K

Median Home

R+36

Politics

This county as a story, on one page you can share·See it on the map with these filters

What stands out

If you had to describe Mathews County in numbers, start here: homeownership is in the top 5% of American counties (84%), the share working from home is in the top 7% of American counties (15%), and the property tax rate is in the bottom 9% of American counties (0.47%). Within Virginia it ranks 15th of 133 counties for homeownership.

Where you are

You live in Mathews County, Virginia. 8,537 people live here with you, so most faces are familiar. The population grew 0.8% last year, and more Americans moved in than out (net +174).

Virginia has a graduated income tax with a 5.75% top rate that begins at just $17,000 of income, so most residents pay near the top rate. It does not tax Social Security and allows an age deduction of up to $12,000 for residents 65 and over. Northern Virginia's federal and defense economy produces incomes closer to the Washington suburbs of Maryland than to the rest of the state. Localities levy annual property tax on vehicles.

Money

The typical household here brings in $79,054 a year, higher than 86% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $41,476. Unemployment runs 2.9%, lower than 71% of American counties. 15% of workers work from home.

Virginia takes 5.4% of that median income in state income tax, about $4,288 a year.

Home

The median home costs $355K, pricier than 80% of American counties, about 3.9 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $874 a month. Property tax is 0.47% of home value, roughly $1,670 a year on that median home, lower than 91% of American counties. 84% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 3.6 per 1,000 residents, lower than 67% of American counties. Drug overdoses killed 16 people per 100,000 in 2024.

A child born here can expect to live 76.2 years, longer than 55% of American counties. There are 16 active physicians in the county, about 18.7 per 10,000 people. 8.6% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

Local students test at grade level 3.40 where 3.0 is national grade level, higher than 92% of American counties. 94% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Republican by 36 points. 78% of eligible voters turned out. Under Virginia law you can get a concealed-carry permit on request, abortion is legal with limits, and marijuana is legal for adults.

Weather and risk

The year averages 59°F, highs near 68 and lows near 50, warmer than 64% of American counties. About 49 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 61 out of 100, riskier than 61% of American counties; the county has had 20 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 181 Mbps down, slower than 58% of American counties. There is 1 airport in the county, counting general aviation. For a night or a weekend out: 0.7 full-service restaurants per 1,000 people.

Written from the figures below. Percentiles compare this county with every other county that reports the same figure; missing figures are left out rather than guessed.

Economy

Median Household Income$79K
This county
national avg ~$75K
Poverty Rate8.8%
This county
national avg ~11.5%
Unemployment Rate2.9%
This county
national avg ~3.8%
GDP per Capita$29,648
Federal Spending per Capita$704
Median Individual Earnings$51K
This county
national avg $45K
Professional/Management Workers43.0%
Average Adjusted Gross Income$83K
Avg Credit Score668
Work From Home %14.5%
This county
national avg 17.0%
Population Under 1815.1%
This county
national avg 22.0%
Single-Person Households33.5%
This county
national avg 28.0%
Income (20th Percentile)$37K
Income (80th Percentile)$156K
Income (95th Percentile)$250K
Bachelor's Degree or Higher29.8%
This county
national avg 34.3%
Less Than High School5.8%
This county
national avg 11.0%
Knowledge Economy GDP %8.9%
Dependency Ratio0.85
Medicare Spending / Person$4,529
SS Benefits / Person$6,918
Education Wage Premium3.31x
Median Earnings (Bachelor's)$58K
Median Earnings (Graduate)$125K
Median Earnings (HS Diploma)$38K
Public Assistance Recipients3.1%
Average Annual Wage$41K
Professional Services Concentration0.37x national
This county
1.0 = national average share
Federal Government Jobs Located Here19
Federal Share of Jobs Located Here1.2%
Residents Who Work for the Federal Government3.1%
Federal Civilian Share of Earnings1.3%
Federal Contract Dollars Performed Here (FY2025)$4M
Contract Dollars Relative to Local Wages0.07x wages
Largest Award's Share of Contract Dollars20%
Oil and Gas Share of Earnings (incl. proprietors)0.3%

Housing

Sources: Zillow ZHVI · Census ACS 2022 · Tax Foundation 2023 (effective rates)

Median Home Value$345K
This county
$390K state avg
$303K national
Market Rent (ZORI)$966/mo
This county
$1700/mo state avg
$1400/mo national
Property Tax Rate0.47%
This county
0.74% state avg
1.10% national

Annual tax on median home: $1,670

Affordability & Supply

HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR)$1,713/mo
Home Price Change (1 yr)+16.4%++11.6% since 2024
Home Value to Income Ratio3.9x income
Severely Cost-Burdened Households5.2%
Homeownership Rate83.8%
This county
national avg ~65%

Market Activity

Sources: Zillow Research monthly · Redfin

Listings with Price Cuts— Low — market moving fast
23.8%
Active Listings
56
New Listings / Month
17

Source: Zillow Research · Updated monthly

Days on Market (Redfin)— Fast market
19 days
Months of Supply (Redfin)— High inventory — buyers market
7.4 mo
Sold Above List (Redfin)
25.0%
Sale-to-List Ratio (Redfin)— Buyers market — homes selling below list
96.0%

Source: Redfin · Updated monthly

Health

Life Expectancy76.2 yrs
This county
national avg ~78.5 years
Food Insecurity7.7%
This county
national avg ~11%
Food Environment Index9.2 / 10
This county
higher = better access
Primary Care Shortage Score12
This county
national avg 5
Mental Health Shortage Score18
Dental Care Shortage Score14
Healthcare Shortage Score14.7
Healthcare Offices10
Obesity Rate (BRFSS)35.3%
This county
national avg 32.0%
Smoking Rate (BRFSS)14.1%
This county
national avg 14.0%
Poor Health Rate (BRFSS)17.3%
This county
national avg 18.0%
Physical Inactivity (BRFSS)22.8%
This county
national avg 24.0%
High Blood Pressure (BRFSS)31.5%
This county
national avg 32.0%
Active Physicians16
Nursing Home Rating4.0 / 5
This county
national avg ~3 stars
ER Visits per 1,000 Medicare Patients586 / 1,000
Medicare Cost per Beneficiary$11,127
Uninsured (under 65)8.6%
This county
national avg ~10%
Adults with Depression26.1%

Education

Reading Test Scores3.40 grade level
HS Diploma Holders1,801
Bachelor's Degree Holders1,402
HS Completion Rate94.3%
This county
national avg ~85%

Safety

Violent Crime Rate3.6 / 1,000
This county
national avg ~4.0
Traffic Fatalities1
Social Vulnerability (CDC SVI)10th pct
Drug Overdose Deaths (2024)16.2 / 100K

Climate & Air Quality

Natural Amenity Scale1.1
January Sunshine0.68
January Temperature0.47
Average Temp59°F-0.8% since 2022
Avg High Temp68°F-1.6% since 2022
Avg Low Temp50°F+0.2% since 2022
Median AQIAQI 44
Good Air Days229 days/yr
Unhealthy Air Days3 days/yr
Annual Precipitation48.7 in/yr+11% since 2022
Avg Storm Events5.0 storms/yr
Avg Annual Storm Damage$3K
Drought Index (2022)-0.22
Heating Degree Days3,670 HDD/yr
This county
national avg ~4,500 HDD/yr
Cooling Degree Days1,506 CDD/yr
This county
national avg ~1,200 CDD/yr
Heating Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)3,889 HDD/yr
Cooling Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)1,336 CDD/yr
Avg Tornadoes / Year0.0
Avg Flood Events / Year0.8
Avg Hail Events / Year0.4
Avg Hurricane Events / Year0.00
Avg Wildfire Events / Year0.0
Avg Winter Storms / Year0.0
Avg Heat Events / Year0.0
Natural Hazard Risk (FEMA)61 / 100
Community Resilience (FEMA)85 / 100
Federal Disaster Declarations20 since 1953
Fine Particulate Pollution (PM2.5)6.0 µg/m³
This county
EPA standard 9 µg/m³

Outdoor & Recreation

Historic Places (NRHP)16 properties
FAA-Registered Airports2 total
Airports (excl. heliports)1 airports

Internet & Remote Work

Download Speed181 Mbps
This county
national avg ~120 Mbps
Upload Speed52 Mbps
Fixed Internet (Q1 2026)198 Mbps
Mobile Internet (Q1 2026)98 Mbps
Mobile Upload (Q1 2026)6 Mbps
Mobile Latency (Q1 2026)34 ms
Households with 100Mbps+96.3%
This county
national avg 75.0%
Cellular-Only Internet7.4%
This county
national avg 8.0%
Fixed Upload Speed (Q1 2026)34 Mbps

EV Infrastructure

EV Charging Stations2 stations
DC Fast Chargers0 chargers
Level 2 EV Chargers2

Commute & Transit

Remote Workers461 workers
Public Transit Commuters26 workers
Walk to Work (workers)58 workers
Extreme Commutes (90+ min)141 workers
Walk to Work1.8%

Families & Childcare

Childcare Cost Burden22.0%
This county
national median ~27% of household income
Childcare Centers11.1 per 10K residents

Civic & Community

Voter Turnout78.4%
This county
national avg ~55%
Volunteering Rate1.0%
Income Inequality (Gini)4.227
Nonprofit Organizations79
Veterans Share11.8%
This county
national avg 7.0%
Married Adults55.1%
Never-Married Adults26.8%
Divorced Adults8.7%
Religious Organizations15
Membership Associations17.6 per 10K residents

Lifestyle & Services

Full-Service Restaurants0.68 per 1K residents
Nursing & Care Facilities9
Hotels & Lodging3
Professional Services Firms19
Real Estate Firms6
Debt Burden
Avg Mortgage Balance$66K
Avg Student Loan Balance$14K
Avg Credit Card Balance$4K
Loan Delinquency Rate53.0%
This county
national avg 4.0%

Innovation

Inventor Rate0.15%

Politics

R+36

2024 Presidential · Virginia was D+3 statewide

vs Virginia State

Income tax
5.75%Same (state law)
Property tax
0.47%0.74% state avg
Politics
R+36D+3
COL Index
102state index (no county figure)

Population & Migration

Net Domestic Migration 2023

↑ +174

More people arriving than leaving

IRS Wealth Migration

Wealthier people moving in (IRS: 1.30x avg income)

Economic Mobility

43%

chance a low-income child reaches the middle class

Source: Opportunity Insights

Real Estate

Find Homes in Mathews County

Median home value: $355K

View on Zillow →View on Realtor.com →

Opens in a new tab

Explore Other Virginia Counties

Accomack County, VirginiaAlbemarle County, VirginiaAlleghany County, VirginiaAmelia County, VirginiaAmherst County, VirginiaAppomattox County, VirginiaArlington County, VirginiaAugusta County, VirginiaBath County, VirginiaBotetourt County, VirginiaBrunswick County, VirginiaBuchanan County, VirginiaAll Virginia counties →

Full Virginia profile

Taxes, cost of living, crime, schools, gun laws and more.

View Virginia →

Data: Census ACS, BLS, Zillow, USDA Natural Amenities, OpenElections 2024, CMS, NCES. Vintage 2022–2025. News via Google News.

Your Priorities

Adjust and every page updates live

Quick Profiles

Dial in your priorities

Annual Income

$150K

Affects effective income tax rate

$0$500K$5M+

Retirement Savings

$0

Affects pension and SS tax burden

None$500K$10M+

Social Security

None

Annual Social Security benefit

None$150K/yr

My Property Is Worth

$400K

Affects property tax burden

Tax burden ↓$1M$50M+

Home Buying Budget

$400K

Compared to state median home price

Hard to find$250K$5M+

Monthly Rent Budget

Don't care

Compared to state median 2BR rent

Don't care$10K/mo

Job Market

Don't care

State unemployment and job growth

Don't careHot market

Airport Access

Don't care

Direct flight destinations from state hubs

Don't careMust have hub

City vs Country

Mid-size city

% urban population

Deep countryBig city

Sunshine

Don't care

Annual sunny days per state

Don't careMax sunshine

Food Scene

Don't care

Restaurants per 100K residents

Don't careWorld-class

Political Preference

Neutral

State's political lean

LiberalConservative

Gun Laws

Neutral

State gun law grade (Giffords)

Gun Control2A Freedom

Abortion Access

Neutral

State abortion access policy

Pro-ChoiceNeutralPro-Life

Community

None

Congregations per 100K residents

AvoidDon't careSeek

Sports & Entertainment

Don't care

Pro sports teams and major venues

Don't careMust have pro teams

Cannabis Laws

Neutral

State cannabis legality

Prefer LegalNeutralPrefer Prohibition

Retiree Community

Neutral

% population 65+ (Census)

Young areaRetirement-heavy

Dating Market

Neutral

% adults never-married (Census)

Singles sceneFamily community

Safety / Low Crime

Don't care

Violent crime rate per 100K (FBI)

Don't careVery safe

School Quality

Don't care

K-12 rank (Education Week)

Don't careTop-ranked

Healthcare Access

Don't care

Healthcare system rank (Commonwealth Fund)

Don't careTop-ranked

Childcare Affordability

Don't care

Cost of living proxy for childcare affordability

Don't careMust be affordable