Bristol is a medium-sized city located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 16,807 people and seven associated neighborhoods, Bristol is the 54th largest community in Virginia.Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Bristol is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Bristol is a city of professionals, sales and office workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Bristol who work in sales jobs (11.97%), office and administrative support (9.90%), and food service (9.44%). Also of interest is that Bristol has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. A relatively large number of people in Bristol telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 11.20% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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 citizens of Bristol are slightly better educated than the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns, with 23.92% of adults in Bristol having a bachelor's degree or advanced degree. The per capita income in Bristol in 2022 was $29,646, which is lower middle income relative to Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $118,584 for a family of four. However, Bristol contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Bristol is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Bristol home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Bristol residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Bristol include English, Irish, German, Scottish, and Scots-Irish. The most common language spoken in Bristol is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.
