Comprehensive development plan

6) Commuting to Work

The 2000 Census data regarding commuting to work reveal that Carroll County sends approximately half of its workforce to surrounding localities for employment. Approximately 6,641 residents commuted out for jobs, compared to 3,314 in-commuters to the county. Interstate 77 bisects Carroll County and serves as a direct link to Wythe County to the north and Surry County, North Carolina to the south. Over 36 percent of the out-commuters that live in Carroll County commute to these two counties for jobs. Approximately 33 percent of the out-commuters that live in Carroll County commute to the City of Galax. To reduce the number of residents that commute out of the county for employment, Carroll County must continue to focus on opportunities for expanding its industrial base and diversifying its economy.

Table IV-Q
Commuting Patterns
Carroll County
2000
People who live and work in the county: 6,806
Out-Commuters to:		In-Commuters from:
City of Galax	2,189	Grayson County	1,172
Surry County, NC	1,827	City of Galax	783
Wythe County	627	Wythe County	403
Pulaski County	469	Surry County, NC	249
Patrick County	229	Floyd County	169
Forsyth County, NC	218	Patrick County	132
Grayson County	173	Pulaski County	107
Montgomery County	94	Alleghany County, NC	57
Floyd County	85	Mercer County, WV	30
Alleghany County, NC	75	Wilkes County, NC	20
Work Elsewhere	655	From Elsewhere	192
Total Out-Commuters	6,641	Total In-Commuters	3,314
Net In-Commuting: -3,327
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census

CHAPTER V

HOUSING

A. Existing Housing Conditions

The housing stock in Carroll County grew by 20.2 percent between 1990 and 2000 to a total of 14,680 housing units. This rate of growth in housing slightly outpaced both the Mount Rogers Planning District and the Commonwealth of Virginia, as shown in Table V-1. The number of vacant housing units in Carroll County also increased during the 1990s, however, at a slightly lower rate than the Mount Rogers Planning District.

Like neighboring Grayson County, much of the increase in vacant housing units can be attributed to the development of recreational homes. Housing units identified as seasonal, recreational, or occasional use in the 2000 Census numbered 1,380, an increase of 502 units since 1990. The growth in Carroll County’s recreational housing is influenced largely by the county’s subdivision policies, the lack of a zoning ordinance, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Table V-1 Total Housing Units^1 Carroll County, MRPDC, and Virginia By Occupancy Status 1990 and 2000
Status	Carroll County		Percent Change	MRPDC		Percent Change	Virginia		Percent Change
	1990	2000		1990	2000		1990	2000
Occupied Vacant TOTAL:	10,463 1,746 12,209	12,186 2,494 14,680	16.5% 42.8% 20.2%	69,085 7,450 76,535	78,701 10,789 89,490	13.9% 44.8% 16.9%	2,291,830 204,504 2,496,334	2,699,173 205,019 2,904,192	17.8% 0.25% 16.3%
1. U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.