Visitor economy
Russell County
County · Southwest Virginia - Heart of Appalachia. Visitors spent $18M here in 2025, up 0.4% on 2024 and down 0.5% on 2019.
$18M
Visitor spending, 2025
109 of 133 localities
159
Jobs supported
105 of 133
$0.6M
Local taxes from visitors
111 of 133
$4.7M
Wages paid
$0.5M in state taxes
Ten years of visitor spending
Where the money went in 2025
Food and drink is the largest single category here at $4.7M, 26.7% of everything visitors spent.
- Lodging
- $2.8M16.0%
- Food and drink
- $4.7M26.7%
- Retail
- $4.4M25.2%
- Recreation
- $1.6M9.2%
- Transport
- $4.0M22.9%
Lodging includes short-term rentals and second-home spending. Transport covers both ground and air.
Year by year
| Year | Total | Change | Lodging | Food | Retail | Recreation | Transport | Jobs | Local tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $18M | +0.4% | $2.8M | $4.7M | $4.4M | $1.6M | $4.0M | 159 | $0.6M |
| 2024 | $17M | -2.7% | $2.8M | $4.5M | $4.4M | $1.7M | $4.1M | 161 | $0.7M |
| 2023 | $18M | +2.9% | $3.0M | $4.6M | $4.4M | $1.7M | $4.2M | 162 | $0.7M |
| 2022 | $17M | +4.9% | $3.0M | $4.5M | $4.2M | $1.6M | $4.1M | 160 | $0.7M |
| 2021 | $17M | +31.3% | $3.3M | $4.1M | $3.9M | $1.6M | $3.8M | 157 | $0.6M |
| 2020 | $13M | -28.2% | $2.8M | $3.1M | $2.8M | $1.1M | $2.8M | 0 | $0.5M |
| 2019 | $18M | -0.8% | $3.6M | $5.1M | $3.8M | $1.6M | $3.5M | 0 | $0.7M |
| 2018 | $18M | +2.7% | $3.7M | $4.9M | $3.9M | $1.6M | $3.7M | 202 | $0.7M |
| 2017 | $17M | +1.2% | $3.8M | $4.7M | $3.7M | $1.5M | $3.6M | 203 | $0.7M |
| 2016 | $17M | — | $3.9M | $4.6M | $3.7M | $1.5M | $3.4M | 203 | $0.7M |
How that compares
- 0.05% of all visitor spending in Virginia, which totalled $36.20B in 2025.
- 7.6% of the Southwest Virginia - Heart of Appalachia region, which took $230M.
- Ranks 109 of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities by visitor spending, and 111 of 133 by the local taxes that spending returns.
- Statewide spending is +3.1% on 2024; Russell County is +0.4%.