Blacksburg, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

45,446

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

42.7%

0.165% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$50,182

4.39% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$446,300

6.98% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

20,376

Population & Diversity

Blacksburg, VA is home to a population of 45.4k people, from which 89.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 14.5% of Blacksburg, VA residents were born outside of the country (6.57k people).

In 2024, there were 6.55 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (34.1k people) in Blacksburg, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.2k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 1.78k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.8%

2024 Citizenship

90.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.8% of Blacksburg, VA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Blacksburg, VA was 90.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Blacksburg, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
34.1k ± 600
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
5.2k ± 418
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.78k ± 269

4.93%

Hispanic Population

2.24k people

4.93% of the people in Blacksburg, VA are hispanic (2.24k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Blacksburg, 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

14.5%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

6.57k people

13.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

6.18k people

As of 2024, 14.5% of Blacksburg, VA residents (6.57k 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 Blacksburg, VA was 13.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
363 ± 149
Vietnam
205 ± 103
Gulf War (1990s)
73 ± 64

Blacksburg, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.77 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Blacksburg, VA employs 20.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Blacksburg, VA were Educational Services (7,641 people), Accommodation & Food Services (3,076 people), and Retail Trade (1,955 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($102,721), Manufacturing ($96,741), and Public Administration ($76,310).

Employment

Occupations

20.4k

2024 Value

± 1,156

1.93%

1 Year growth

± 8.01%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Blacksburg, VA grew at a rate of 1.93%, from 20k employees to 20.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Blacksburg, VA, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (4,431 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (2,329 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,950 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Blacksburg, 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

20.4k

2024 Value

± 1,156

1.93%

1 Year growth

± 8.01%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Blacksburg, VA grew at a rate of 1.93%, from 20k employees to 20.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Blacksburg, VA, are Educational Services (7,641 people), Accommodation & Food Services (3,076 people), and Retail Trade (1,955 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Blacksburg, VA, though some of these residents may live in Blacksburg, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$26,494

Median earning men ± $4,381

$26,959

Median earning women ± $3,468

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($97,165), Public Administration ($87,619), and Information ($79,111).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($78,173), Public Administration ($72,885), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($65,000).

Education

The student population of Blacksburg, VA in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 22,987 male students and 18,487 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Blacksburg, VA are White (6,687 and 65.5%), Asian (1,343 and 13.1%), Hispanic or Latino (922 and 9.03%), and Black or African American (547 and 5.36%).

The largest universities in Blacksburg, VA by number of degrees awarded are Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (10,849 and 94.7%) and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (612 and 5.34%).

The most popular majors in Blacksburg, VA are General Computer & Information Sciences (794 and 6.93%), Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (612 and 5.34%), and Management Science (542 and 4.73%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $13,152 for in-state students and $34,362 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Blacksburg, VA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 54.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 25.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 41,474 (55.4% men and 44.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 41,474 students enrolled in Blacksburg, VA, 55.4% men and 44.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 22,726 records, of which 46.7% were women and 53.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Management Science
542 degrees awarded
General Computer & Information Sciences
517 degrees awarded
Mechanical Engineering
352 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Blacksburg, VA was Management Science with 542 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
10,849 degrees awarded
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
612 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with 10,849 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 6,310 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Blacksburg, VA, which is 1.23 times more than the 5,151 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 6,687 degrees mean that there were 4.98 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 1,343 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($13,152) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,796) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,620) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Blacksburg, VA was $446,300 in 2024, which is 1.34 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $417,200 to $446,300, a 6.98% increase. The homeownership rate in Blacksburg, VA is 35.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Blacksburg, VA have an average commute time of 14.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Blacksburg, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$446,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,901

$4,955

Median Property Taxes

±$487

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 Blacksburg, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

35.8%

Homeownership

2024

66.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 35.8% of the housing units in Blacksburg, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 34.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Blacksburg, 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.

$50,182

Median Household Income

± $7,596

13.8k

Number of Households

± 896

In 2024, the median household income of the 13.8k households in Blacksburg, VA grew to $50,182 from the previous year's value of $48,070.

The following chart displays the households in Blacksburg, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Blacksburg, 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 (51%)
Worked At Home (18.2%)
Walked (11.8%)

In 2024, 51% of workers in Blacksburg, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (18.2%) and those who walked to work (11.8%).

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

14.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Blacksburg, VA have a shorter commute time (14.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.588% of the workforce in Blacksburg, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

42.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Blacksburg, VA (15k out of 35.2k 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 Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Blacksburg, VA is White, followed by Asian and Two Or More.

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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