Hampden-Sydney is a very small town located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 1,191 people and just one neighborhood, Hampden-Sydney is the 270th largest community in Virginia.
Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Hampden-Sydney is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Hampden-Sydney is a town of sales and office workers, service providers, and transportation and shipping workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Hampden-Sydney who work in office and administrative support (21.14%), law enforcement and fire fighting (11.79%), and sales jobs (9.01%).
Also of interest is that Hampden-Sydney has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 18.39% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
The overall crime rate in Hampden-Sydney is one of the lowest in the US. This makes it one of the safer places to live in the country in terms of crime.
One of the benefits of Hampden-Sydney is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 18.51 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.
Hampden-Sydney is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.
The education level of Hampden-Sydney ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Hampden-Sydney, 43.77% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.
The per capita income in Hampden-Sydney in 2022 was $17,975, which is low income relative to Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $71,900 for a family of four. However, Hampden-Sydney contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Hampden-Sydney is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Hampden-Sydney home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Hampden-Sydney residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Hampden-Sydney include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Swiss.
The most common language spoken in Hampden-Sydney is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Korean.
The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.
An extraordinary 50.2% of the residents of the neighborhood are currently enrolled in college. This is such a large part of life in this neighborhood that the neighborhood changes a great deal with the change of semesters and is far quieter during the summer when many students are away.
In addition, one of the really interesting characteristics about the neighborhood is that, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research, it is an excellent choice in which to reside for college students. Due to its popularity among college students who already choose to live here, its walkability, and its above average safety from crime, the neighborhood is ideal for prospective or already-enrolled college students. Between semesters and during school breaks, you'll notice that the excitement here fluctuates with the college seasons. Despite the excitement however, parents of college-age children can rest easy knowing that this neighborhood has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 4.5% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Virginia. In addition to being an excellent choice for college students, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for active retirees.
Despite all of the residential real estate here in the neighborhood, NeighborhoodScout has discovered that much of it is vacant. In resort or second-home vacation areas, this naturally occurs because homes and apartments are seasonally occupied, and empty for a portion of the year. In non-vacation or resort areas, however, this can be an indicator of property abandonment or a weak real estate market. The vacancy rate here is 32.4%, which is higher than 96.0% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
In addition, unpopulated, and rural, the neighborhood is one of the least crowded neighborhoods in all of America. If you like open space, no traffic, and lots of room, this neighborhood may be just what you are looking for. According to NeighborhoodScout's leading research, this neighborhood is less densely populated than 91.3% of the neighborhoods in America.
In the neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 11.5% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 95.8% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!
There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Hampden-Sydney are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 46.3% of the neighborhoods in America. With 18.3% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 66.9% of U.S. neighborhoods.
What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.
In the neighborhood, 31.0% of the working population is employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 30.8% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (21.3%), and 15.4% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 95.9% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (2.6%).
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the neighborhood in Hampden-Sydney, VA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (11.1%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (7.8%), and residents who report Irish roots (6.9%), and some of the residents are also of Mexican ancestry (2.7%), along with some Italian ancestry residents (2.7%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (35.3% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.
Here most residents (63.9%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (12.0%) and 11.5% of residents also hop out the door and walk to work for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.