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 place where college students are a big part of the character and culture of the town. Small towns have often struggled with declining populations over the past few decades, but the presence of such a large college student population has helped Ashland to fight this trend. Not only does the college population add spending and jobs to local economy, but it also contributes a very tangible, youthful energy to the town. The population of Ashland is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 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.
