Head Waters, VA
Highland County · Virginia · United States
Home to 70 people across 41.535 square miles.
At a glance
24442 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 24442 is
| Coordinates | 38.37253, -79.384617 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Highland County |
| State | Virginia (VA) |
| Land area | 41.535 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/New_York
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Philadelphia, PA | 251.0 mi |
|---|---|
| New York, NY | 329.0 mi |
| Atlanta, GA | 424.3 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 498.1 mi |
People
Who lives in 24442
70 residents in 31 households, averaging 2.26 people per household. The largest age group is 55-64 at 35.7% of residents, and 48.4% of households are a single person living alone.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 31 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.26 |
| Family households | 51.6% |
| Living alone | 48.4% |
| Median age | 58.1 years |
| Households with internet | 100.0% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 24442
The median household here earns $70,625 a year, above the US median of $70,109, which puts 24442 ahead of 51% of American ZIP codes. 0.0% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $70,625 ±$19,446 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $41,421 |
| Poverty rate | 0.0% |
| Unemployment rate | 0.0% |
| Labor force participation | 69.2% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 57.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 100.0% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 24442
Housing cost data is suppressed for this ZIP code.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | — |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | —/mo |
| Median year built | 1963 |
| Housing units | 145 |
| Vacancy rate | 78.6% |
Own vs. rent
Of 31 occupied units
| Owner households | 29 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 2 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 24442 commutes
86.1% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 34.1 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 34.1 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 24442
ZIP code 24442 is assigned to Head Waters, VA, and falls within Highland County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 70 people live inside it.
At 2 residents per square mile spread over 41.535 square miles, 24442 reads as a rural area. It is a sparsely populated postal code, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings track close to the national picture. The median of $70,625 puts 24442 near the middle of the pack, ahead of 51% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Head Waters looks like
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 72.4% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1963, making the housing here mid-century. The vacancy rate of 78.6% is high, which in many places reflects seasonal or second-home use rather than abandonment.
The population skews considerably older than the national median, with a median age of 58.1 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.26 people, and 51.6% are family households.
Getting to work takes 34.1 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 86.1% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Head Waters, VA
24442 covers a rural area, and accommodation within the postal code itself is likely to be sparse — perhaps a country inn, a lodge or a vacation rental rather than a conventional hotel. Widening the search radius is usually the practical approach, and it also opens up more availability at short notice.
For reference, Philadelphia, PA is about 251.0 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
Opens Booking.com in a new tab. We are not affiliated with Booking.com and receive nothing from this link.
Practical uses
What ZIP code 24442 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 24442 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 24442 offers a compact profile of Head Waters: 70 residents, a median household income of $70,625, 57.7% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 0.0%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 24442 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Head Waters may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 24442
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Virginia ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
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Questions
Common questions about 24442
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 24442. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).