The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Old Dominion have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.
While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.
We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Virginia have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.
A recent study we published found that Virginia is the 16th smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 101.
But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Virginia are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.
#1 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Wise County, Virginia
Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Emporia city, Virginia
Emporia is an independent city located within the confines of Greensville County, Virginia, United States. It and a predecessor town have been the county seat of Greensville County since 1791. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,927, making it the second-least populous city in Virginia. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Emporia with surrounding Greensville county for statistical purposes.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Covington city, Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Warren County, Virginia
Front Royal is a town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 14,440 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Warren County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Tazewell County, Virginia
Richlands is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,823 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Galax city, Virginia
Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,042. In 2015 the estimated population was 6,941.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 dumbest in Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Danville city, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,055. It is bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It hosts the Danville Braves baseball club of the Appalachian League.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Hopewell city, Virginia
Hopewell is an independent city within Prince George County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,591. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Hopewell with Prince George County for statistical purposes.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 dumbest in Virginia
Located in
Manassas Park city, Virginia
Manassas Park is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,273. Manassas Park is bordered by the city of Manassas and Prince William County. Manassas Park is a part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. “A” Fort and Battery Hill Redoubt-Camp Early resides in Manassas Park.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Virginia’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Virginia’s dumbest cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Old Dominion
We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.
So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.
In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Virginia:
- % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
- % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)
We got the data from the U.S. Census 2020-2024 American Community Survey.
Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Virginia from dumbest to brightest.
For this ranking, we used every Virginia city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the dumbest cities in Virginia.
The full plate
Dumbest Cities In Virginia For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | % Adult High School Dropout | % Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Stone Gap | 5,162 | 20.0% | 15.0% |
| 2 | Emporia | 5,547 | 19.0% | 16.0% |
| 3 | Covington | 5,680 | 14.0% | 9.0% |
| 4 | Front Royal | 15,296 | 16.0% | 19.0% |
| 5 | Richlands | 5,171 | 13.0% | 13.0% |
| 6 | Galax | 6,726 | 15.0% | 19.0% |
| 7 | Orange | 5,066 | 15.0% | 21.0% |
| 8 | Danville | 42,214 | 14.0% | 19.0% |
| 9 | Hopewell | 22,959 | 12.0% | 13.0% |
| 10 | Manassas Park | 16,798 | 23.0% | 27.0% |
| 11 | Marion | 5,670 | 15.0% | 22.0% |
| 12 | Dumfries | 5,816 | 17.0% | 25.0% |
| 13 | South Boston | 7,853 | 13.0% | 21.0% |
| 14 | Wytheville | 8,202 | 14.0% | 24.0% |
| 15 | Martinsville | 13,658 | 12.0% | 21.0% |
| 16 | Manassas | 42,976 | 19.0% | 32.0% |
| 17 | Culpeper | 20,794 | 16.0% | 31.0% |
| 18 | Pulaski | 8,893 | 10.0% | 17.0% |
| 19 | Petersburg | 33,537 | 13.0% | 25.0% |
| 20 | Franklin | 8,250 | 14.0% | 27.0% |
| 21 | Buena Vista | 6,593 | 12.0% | 23.0% |
| 22 | Woodstock | 5,871 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| 23 | Vinton | 8,056 | 9.0% | 18.0% |
| 24 | Portsmouth | 97,190 | 11.0% | 24.0% |
| 25 | Waynesboro | 22,841 | 11.0% | 25.0% |
| 26 | Bristol | 16,849 | 10.0% | 25.0% |
| 27 | Harrisonburg | 51,392 | 15.0% | 37.0% |
| 28 | Winchester | 27,913 | 12.0% | 32.0% |
| 29 | Farmville | 7,774 | 12.0% | 33.0% |
| 30 | Strasburg | 7,214 | 6.0% | 17.0% |
| 31 | Roanoke | 98,355 | 10.0% | 30.0% |
| 32 | Ashland | 7,772 | 12.0% | 37.0% |
| 33 | Herndon | 24,672 | 15.0% | 53.0% |
| 34 | Hampton | 137,557 | 8.0% | 28.0% |
| 35 | Colonial Heights | 18,352 | 8.0% | 29.0% |
| 36 | Newport News | 184,216 | 8.0% | 30.0% |
| 37 | Norfolk | 233,596 | 9.0% | 34.0% |
| 38 | Suffolk | 98,796 | 9.0% | 34.0% |
| 39 | Abingdon | 8,330 | 8.0% | 36.0% |
| 40 | Richmond | 229,359 | 10.0% | 46.0% |
| 41 | Lynchburg | 79,497 | 8.0% | 39.0% |
| 42 | Warrenton | 10,176 | 9.0% | 46.0% |
| 43 | Chesapeake | 252,583 | 6.0% | 36.0% |
| 44 | Salem | 25,618 | 5.0% | 33.0% |
| 45 | Staunton | 25,948 | 7.0% | 37.0% |
| 46 | Fredericksburg | 28,873 | 8.0% | 46.0% |
| 47 | Smithfield | 8,834 | 5.0% | 36.0% |
| 48 | Radford | 16,726 | 6.0% | 38.0% |
| 49 | Williamsburg | 15,798 | 7.0% | 45.0% |
| 50 | Fairfax | 25,026 | 8.0% | 63.0% |
| 51 | Bridgewater | 6,708 | 7.0% | 46.0% |
| 52 | Lexington | 7,525 | 8.0% | 51.0% |
| 53 | Christiansburg | 22,720 | 6.0% | 45.0% |
| 54 | Poquoson | 12,639 | 4.0% | 36.0% |
| 55 | Leesburg | 49,171 | 8.0% | 57.0% |
| 56 | Virginia Beach | 456,349 | 5.0% | 41.0% |
| 57 | Alexandria | 156,976 | 7.0% | 66.0% |
| 58 | Charlottesville | 45,437 | 6.0% | 63.0% |
| 59 | Purcellville | 8,973 | 4.0% | 61.0% |
| 60 | Falls Church | 14,710 | 5.0% | 80.0% |
| 61 | Vienna | 16,412 | 4.0% | 75.0% |
| 62 | Blacksburg | 45,446 | 2.0% | 69.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 62 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
If you’re measuring the locations in Virginia where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.
The dumbest cities in Virginia are Big Stone Gap, Emporia, Covington, Front Royal, Richlands, Galax, Orange, Danville, Hopewell, and Manassas Park.
