Lebanon Fast Facts

  • The county seat for Russell County, Va., as of 2021 Lebanon has a population of 3,158 people.
  • The town is connected to CPC OptiNet, a fiber-optic broadband infrastructure that equals any in the world.
  • Our sales tax rate is 5 percent; income tax rate is 5.75 percent.
  • Lebanon’s cost of living index comparison is 92.90, which is 7.10 percent lower than the U.S. average.
  • We’re governed by an elected mayor and six council members. We’re located in Virginia’s 38th senate district, 2nd House of Delegates district and 9th congressional district.
  • Lebanon is served by the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission, one of 21 planning districts in Virginia that promotes regional cooperation.

Home and Work

  • Median home purchase in Lebanon is $140,200; median income for a household is $40,329.
  • Average one-way commute to work is 20 minutes. Most employees (85 percent) drive their own cars; 1 percent work from home.
  • We have few violent crimes in Lebanon, rating only 2 on a scale from 1 (low crime) to 10.
  • Future job growth over the next decade is predicted to be 30.60 percent.

Education

  • Our Russell County Public Schools consists of three secondary schools, 10 elementary schools and one vocational/technical school.
  • Student to teacher ratio is 15.7 students per teacher; the system’s drop-out rate for grades 7-12 is 3.8 percent, compared to the state rate of 4 percent.
  • The Southwest Virginia Technology Development Center in Lebanon is operated by the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and provides educational programs that strengthen the local workforce.
  • Two community colleges are located nearby – Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, Va., and Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Va.
  • Four-year universities include King University in Bristol, Tenn., and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise in Wise, Va.

Climate

  • On average, Lebanon has 200 sunny days per year. Our July high is around 83 degrees; our January low is 24 degrees.
  • Lebanon gets an average of 44 inches of rain per year. Average amount of snowfall is 14 inches; the average U.S. city gets 25 inches per year.

Health

  • Lebanon’s air quality is 87 on a scale to 100 (higher is better).
  • Our Russell County Medical Center provides emergency and hospital services. We’re also served by 11 healthcare clinics and seven nursing homes.

Fun and Recreation

  • Popular local events include the Russell County Fair and Horseshow (Castlewood, Va.), Honaker Redbud Festival, Clinch River Days Festival (St. Paul, Va.) and our own Lebanon Independence Day Celebration.
  • Six community parks are nearby, and the Lake Bonaventure Golf and Country Club in Castlewood offers a 9-hole golf course, swimming and 35-acre lake for boating and fishing. Laurel Bed Lake in nearby Saltville, part of the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Area, also provides excellent trout fishing.
  • Our Clinch River is a popular site for boating, ranked #1 river in the country by The Nature Conservancy for environmental diversity and significance.
  • Other outdoor opportunities are available at the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Area, Pinnacle Natural Area Reserve, Breaks Interstate Park, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and Natural Tunnel State Park.
  • We’re also just a short drive to Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, Tenn.), which hosts two of NASCAR’s most exciting stock care races each year.

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