Ashland is a somewhat small town located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 7,750 people and three associated neighborhoods, Ashland is the 90th largest community in Virginia.Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Ashland is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Ashland is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Ashland who work in management occupations (11.37%), office and administrative support (11.23%), and teaching (9.69%). One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 7.76% 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. Ashland is a small town where college students really create the town feel and character. So many small towns have lost population over the last 20-30 years that having the local college presence in the Ashland area, with all of the energy of the students filling area dorms and apartments each fall, really helps Ashland maintain a good economy. The education level of Ashland citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 34.59% of adults in Ashland have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree. The per capita income in Ashland in 2022 was $32,934, which is middle income relative to Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $131,736 for a family of four. However, Ashland contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Ashland is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Ashland home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ashland residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Ashland also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 11.43% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Ashland include English, Irish, German, Italian, and Welsh. The most common language spoken in Ashland is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.
