Roanoke, VA

Census Place

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2024 Population
98,355
US Senator
Mark Warner
Democratic Party
US Senator
Tim Kaine
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
38.3
0.789% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
18.3%
6.83% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$55,378
5.14% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$190,500
5.54% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
45,699
1.05% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Roanoke, VA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

94.7% of the residents in Roanoke, VA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Roanoke, VA are Virginia Western Community College (1,136 degrees awarded in 2023) and Paul Mitchell the School-Roanoke (41 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Roanoke, VA was $190,500, and the homeownership rate was 52.4%.

Most people in Roanoke, VA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19 minutes. The average car ownership in Roanoke, VA was 2 cars per household.

Photo by Donnie Nunley
United StatesVirginiaRoanoke city, VARoanoke, VARoanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (Outside Roanoke & Salem Cities) PUMA, VARoanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (Roanoke, Salem Cities & Vinton Town) PUMA, VA

Population & Diversity

Roanoke, VA is home to a population of 98.4k people, from which 94.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 7.88% of Roanoke, VA residents were born outside of the country (7.75k people).

In 2024, there were 2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (54.3k people) in Roanoke, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 27.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.38k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.7%
2024 Citizenship
95.2%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.7% of Roanoke, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Roanoke, VA was 95.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Roanoke, VA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Roanoke, VA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    54.3k ± 338
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    27.2k ± 653
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    4.38k ± 774
8.97%
Hispanic Population
8.82k people

In 2024, there were 2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (54.3k people) in Roanoke, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 27.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.38k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

8.97% of the people in Roanoke, VA are hispanic (8.82k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Roanoke, VA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Virginia.
Most Common Origin
  1. El Salvador
    107,827 ± 8,012 people
  2. India
    97,961 ± 7,641 people
  3. Mexico
    63,695 ± 6,173 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 107,827 Virginia residents, followed by India with 97,961 and Mexico with 63,695.

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Foreign-Born Population

7.88%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
7.75k people
7.41%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
7.31k people

As of 2024, 7.88% of Roanoke, VA residents (7.75k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Roanoke, VA was 7.41%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Roanoke, VA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    1,832 ± 318
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,122 ± 274
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    1,071 ± 314

Roanoke, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.63 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Roanoke, VA.

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Economy

The economy of Roanoke, VA employs 45.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Roanoke, VA were Health Care & Social Assistance (9,189 people), Retail Trade (5,808 people), and Manufacturing (4,769 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($75,246), Utilities ($68,250), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($53,820).

Employment

Occupations

45.7k
2024 Value
± 1,953
−1.05%
1 Year decline
± 6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Roanoke, VA declined at a rate of −1.05%, from 46.2k employees to 45.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Roanoke, VA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,961 people), Sales & Related Occupations (4,771 people), and Management Occupations (3,678 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Roanoke, VA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Virginia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

45.7k
2024 Value
± 1,953
−1.05%
1 Year decline
± 6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Roanoke, VA declined at a rate of −1.05%, from 46.2k employees to 45.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Roanoke, VA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (9,189 people), Retail Trade (5,808 people), and Manufacturing (4,769 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Roanoke, VA, though some of these residents may live in Roanoke, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$44,360
Median earning men ± $2,723
$38,735
Median earning women ± $2,433

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($61,204), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($56,607), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($53,065).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($50,438), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($48,709), and Manufacturing ($47,013).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.
Y-Axis
2.48%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.1M people employed in Virginia. This represents a 2.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Virginia.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Virginia went to Kamala Harris with 51.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.1%), followed by Other (0.905%).

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing the state of Virginia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Virginia is currently represented by 11 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Roanoke, VA. Showing the available data for Virginia.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (51.8%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (46.1%)
    Republican Party
  3. Other (0.905%)
    Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Virginia went to Kamala Harris with 51.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.1%), followed by Other (0.905%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Virginia for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Virginia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.
Mark Warner
Senator from Virginia2
Assumed office on January 3, 2009
Tim Kaine
Senator from Virginia1
Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing Virginia.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Virginia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Roanoke, VA awarded 1,177 degrees. The student population of Roanoke, VA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,711 male students and 3,532 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Roanoke, VA are White (850 and 72.8%), Black or African American (136 and 11.6%), Hispanic or Latino (75 and 6.42%), and Two or More Races (47 and 4.02%).

The largest universities in Roanoke, VA by number of degrees awarded are Virginia Western Community College (1,136 and 96.5%) and Paul Mitchell the School-Roanoke (41 and 3.48%).

The most popular majors in Roanoke, VA are Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (113 and 9.6%), General Studies (77 and 6.54%), and Biological & Physical Sciences (69 and 5.86%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 6,243 students enrolled in Roanoke, VA, 43.4% men and 56.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,248 records, of which 54.8% were women and 45.2% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Studies
    77 degrees awarded
  2. Biological & Physical Sciences
    69 degrees awarded
  3. General Business Administration & Management
    65 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Roanoke, VA was General Studies with 77 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Roanoke, VA according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Virginia Western Community College
    1,136 degrees awarded
  2. Paul Mitchell the School-Roanoke
    41 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Virginia Western Community College with 1,136 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 455 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Roanoke, VA, which is 0.63 times less than the 722 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 850 degrees mean that there were 6.25 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 136 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,818) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($438) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,500) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Roanoke, VA was $190,500 in 2024, which is 0.573 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $180,500 to $190,500, a 5.54% increase. The homeownership rate in Roanoke, VA is 52.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Roanoke, VA have an average commute time of 19 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Roanoke, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$190,500
Median Property Value 2024
±$6,503
$22,852
Median Property Taxes
±$1,244

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Roanoke, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Roanoke, VA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

52.4%
Homeownership
2024
63.7%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 52.4% of the housing units in Roanoke, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 51.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Roanoke, VA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$55,378
Median Household Income
± $2,433
43.6k
Number of Households
± 1,803

In 2024, the median household income of the 43.6k households in Roanoke, VA grew to $55,378 from the previous year's value of $52,671.

The following chart displays the households in Roanoke, VA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Roanoke, VA is from Virginia.
0.472
2023 Wage GINI in Virginia
0.475
2022 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2023, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.472 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.599% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Virginia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Virginia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (74.9%)
  2. Worked At Home (11.8%)
  3. Carpooled (7.01%)

In 2024, 74.9% of workers in Roanoke, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.8%) and those who carpooled to work (7.01%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

19 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Roanoke, VA have a shorter commute time (19 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.782% of the workforce in Roanoke, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Roanoke, VA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Roanoke, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Roanoke, VA have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

18.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Roanoke, VA (17.7k out of 96.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females < 5 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Roanoke, VA is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

90.2% of the population of Roanoke, VA has health coverage, with 39.8% on employee plans, 25.1% on Medicaid, 13.3% on Medicare, 10.1% on non-group plans, and 1.74% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Virginia see 1,341 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,341 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1329 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 379 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.9% were men and 53.1% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.1% under 18 years, 21.6% between 18 and 34 years, 37.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.9% were men and 53.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

9.81%
Uninsured
39.8%
Employer Coverage
25.1%
Medicaid
13.3%
Medicare
10.1%
Non-Group
1.74%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Roanoke, VA grew by 2.55% from 9.57% to 9.81%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Roanoke, VA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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