| | Altavista, VA | South Hill, VA | United States |
| Population | 3,396 | 4,636 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 52.9% | 46.4% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 47.1% | 53.6% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 41.8 | 39.2 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 3,456 | 4,605 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 3,425 | 4,403 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 3,686 | 4,217 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -0.1% | -1.1% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | -7.2% | 3.3% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 673.0 | 471.8 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 5.0 | 9.8 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.1 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Altavista, VA | South Hill, VA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 8.1% | 3.2% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 5.4% | 3.6% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 3.9% | 6.9% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.6% | 6.3% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 5.5% | 4.6% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 1.2% | 7.7% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 12.5% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 10.7% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 10.5% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 6.9% | 5.4% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 4.4% | 4.9% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.7% | 8.7% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 4.4% | 4.9% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Altavista, VA | South Hill, VA | United States |
| White | 62.4% | 43.4% | 59.4% |
| Black | 36.8% | 44.9% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.3% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 0.5% | 1.6% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 0.0% | 5.0% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Altavista, VA | South Hill, VA | United States |
| Married Population | 40.3% | 30.1% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 37.6% | 27.8% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.7% | 2.3% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 59.7% | 69.9% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 34.6% | 45.2% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 15.3% | 12.5% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 9.8% | 12.2% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.48 | 2.14 | 2.60 |
| Households | 1,338 | 2,118 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 839 | 878 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 23.7% | 23.6% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 29.8% | 36.1% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 499 | 1,240 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 26.7% | 26.1% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 19.8% | 14.2% | 10.8% |