Bedford, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

7,724

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

44.6

2.29% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.2%

40.2% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$70,288

47.4% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$222,500

Population & Diversity

Bedford, VA is home to a population of 7.72k people, from which 98.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.45% of Bedford, VA residents were born outside of the country (189 people).

In 2024, there were 5.68 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.12k people) in Bedford, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.08k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 208 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Bedford, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bedford, VA was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bedford, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.12k ± 425
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.08k ± 375
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
208 ± 136

1.28%

Hispanic Population

99 people

1.28% of the people in Bedford, VA are hispanic (99 people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Virginia.

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
108,778 ± 8,047 people
India
98,440 ± 7,659 people
Mexico
58,677 ± 5,927 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 108,778 Virginia residents, followed by India with 98,440 and Mexico with 58,677.

Foreign-Born Population

2.45%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

189 people

3.12%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

209 people

As of 2024, 2.45% of Bedford, VA residents (189 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 Bedford, VA was 3.12%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
126 ± 73
Gulf War (2001-)
83 ± 73
Gulf War (1990s)
76 ± 73

Bedford, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.52 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Bedford, VA employs 3.42k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bedford, VA were Health Care & Social Assistance (552 people), Manufacturing (493 people), and Retail Trade (417 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($115,500), Utilities ($89,091), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($88,409).

Employment

Occupations

3.42k

2024 Value

± 493

13.2%

1 Year growth

± 18.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bedford, VA grew at a rate of 13.2%, from 3.02k employees to 3.42k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bedford, VA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (518 people), Management Occupations (324 people), and Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations (307 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bedford, VA.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

3.42k

2024 Value

± 493

13.2%

1 Year growth

± 18.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bedford, VA grew at a rate of 13.2%, from 3.02k employees to 3.42k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bedford, VA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (552 people), Manufacturing (493 people), and Retail Trade (417 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bedford, VA, though some of these residents may live in Bedford, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,534

Median earning men ± $6,929

$38,623

Median earning women ± $4,629

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($131,058), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($87,614), and Wholesale Trade ($72,630).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($54,057), Public Administration ($51,447), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($41,509).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bedford, VA was $222,500 in 2024, which is 0.669 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $192,600 to $222,500, a 15.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Bedford, VA is 69.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bedford, VA have an average commute time of 20.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bedford, VA is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$222,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,246

$2,122

Median Property Taxes

±$324

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 Bedford, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

69.2%

Homeownership

2024

69.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.2% of the housing units in Bedford, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 55.5%.

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

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$70,288

Median Household Income

± $12,886

3.07k

Number of Households

± 429

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.07k households in Bedford, VA grew to $70,288 from the previous year's value of $47,697.

The following chart displays the households in Bedford, 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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bedford, VA is from Virginia.

0.47

2024 Wage GINI in Virginia

0.472

2023 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2024, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.376% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76.1%)
Carpooled (10.9%)
Worked At Home (7.69%)

In 2024, 76.1% of workers in Bedford, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.9%) and those who worked at home (7.69%).

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.

Commute Time

20.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bedford, VA have a shorter commute time (20.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.14% of the workforce in Bedford, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bedford, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bedford, VA have 3 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bedford, VA (902 out of 7.41k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 25 - 34.

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

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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