Blacksburg, VA

Census Place

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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
1.93% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Blacksburg, 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.

89.8% of the residents in Blacksburg, VA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Blacksburg, VA are Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (11,215 degrees awarded in 2023) and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (471 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Blacksburg, VA was $446,300, and the homeownership rate was 35.8%.

Most people in Blacksburg, VA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Blacksburg, VA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesVirginiaMontgomery County, VABlacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VANew River Valley Planning District Commission PUMA, VA

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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Blacksburg, VA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    34.1k ± 600
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    5.2k ± 418
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    1.78k ± 269
4.93%
Hispanic Population
2.24k 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.

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.

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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

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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    363 ± 149
  2. Vietnam
    205 ± 103
  3. 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.

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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.

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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

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.

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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).

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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 Blacksburg, 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 Blacksburg, VA awarded 11,686 degrees. The student population of Blacksburg, VA in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 22,799 male students and 18,091 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Blacksburg, VA are White (7,136 and 68%), Asian (1,261 and 12%), Hispanic or Latino (828 and 7.89%), and Black or African American (520 and 4.96%).

The largest universities in Blacksburg, VA by number of degrees awarded are Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (11,215 and 96%) and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (471 and 4.03%).

The most popular majors in Blacksburg, VA are General Computer & Information Sciences (851 and 7.28%), Management Science (486 and 4.16%), and Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (471 and 4.03%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $12,698 for in-state students and $33,310 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Blacksburg, VA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 57%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 26.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 40,890 (55.8% men and 44.2% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 40,890 students enrolled in Blacksburg, VA, 55.8% men and 44.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 22,894 records, of which 46.1% were women and 53.9% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Computer & Information Sciences
    526 degrees awarded
  2. Management Science
    486 degrees awarded
  3. General Finance
    359 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Blacksburg, VA was General Computer & Information Sciences with 526 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    11,215 degrees awarded
  2. Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
    471 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with 11,215 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 6,281 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Blacksburg, VA, which is 1.16 times more than the 5,405 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 7,136 degrees mean that there were 5.66 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 1,261 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

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($12,698) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,780) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,100) 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 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.

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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.

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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.
$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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Blacksburg, 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 (51%)
  2. Worked At Home (18.2%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

95.7% of the population of Blacksburg, VA has health coverage, with 70.6% on employee plans, 4.68% on Medicaid, 5.61% on Medicare, 12.9% on non-group plans, and 1.95% 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, 54.8% were men and 45.2% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.6% under 18 years, 52.9% between 18 and 34 years, 19.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 7.36% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 54.8% were men and 45.2% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

4.34%
Uninsured
70.6%
Employer Coverage
4.68%
Medicaid
5.61%
Medicare
12.9%
Non-Group
1.95%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Blacksburg, VA grew by 10.5% from 3.92% to 4.34%.

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

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