Emporia, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

5,547

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

36.6

7.34% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

15.8%

16.8% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$51,899

5.11% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$148,500

Population & Diversity

Emporia, VA is home to a population of 5.55k people, from which 98.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.54% of Emporia, VA residents were born outside of the country (141 people).

In 2024, there were 3.51 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.57k people) in Emporia, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.02k White (Non-Hispanic) and 397 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.2%

2024 Citizenship

97.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.2% of Emporia, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Emporia, VA was 97.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Emporia, VA

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.57k ± 369
White (Non-Hispanic)
1.02k ± 271
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
397 ± 207

7.86%

Hispanic Population

436 people

7.86% of the people in Emporia, VA are hispanic (436 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Emporia, 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

2.54%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

141 people

3.98%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

224 people

As of 2024, 2.54% of Emporia, VA residents (141 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 Emporia, VA was 3.98%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
108 ± 81
Gulf War (1990s)
51 ± 47
Gulf War (2001-)
39 ± 65

Emporia, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.12 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Emporia, VA employs 2.27k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Emporia, VA were Manufacturing (400 people), Public Administration (314 people), and Retail Trade (313 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($88,710), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($70,259), and Construction ($67,594).

Employment

Occupations

2.27k

2024 Value

± 396

4.17%

1 Year growth

± 23.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Emporia, VA grew at a rate of 4.17%, from 2.18k employees to 2.27k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Emporia, VA, are Production Occupations (379 people), Sales & Related Occupations (361 people), and Material Moving Occupations (245 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Emporia, 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

2.27k

2024 Value

± 396

4.17%

1 Year growth

± 23.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Emporia, VA grew at a rate of 4.17%, from 2.18k employees to 2.27k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Emporia, VA, are Manufacturing (400 people), Public Administration (314 people), and Retail Trade (313 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Emporia, VA, though some of these residents may live in Emporia, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,863

Median earning men ± $8,790

$26,860

Median earning women ± $8,865

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($70,259), Construction ($67,594), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($63,958).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($50,000), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($46,950), and Public Administration ($39,487).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Emporia, VA was $148,500 in 2024, which is 0.446 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $131,100 to $148,500, a 13.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Emporia, VA is 38.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Emporia, VA have an average commute time of 23.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Emporia, VA is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$148,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,557

$822

Median Property Taxes

±$207

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

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

Rent vs Own

38.1%

Homeownership

2024

59.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 38.1% of the housing units in Emporia, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 38.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Emporia, 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.

$51,899

Median Household Income

± $7,831

2.16k

Number of Households

± 357

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.16k households in Emporia, VA grew to $51,899 from the previous year's value of $49,375.

The following chart displays the households in Emporia, 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 $50k - $60k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Emporia, 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 (71%)
Carpooled (13.2%)
Worked At Home (9.94%)

In 2024, 71% of workers in Emporia, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (13.2%) and those who worked at home (9.94%).

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

23.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Emporia, VA have a shorter commute time (23.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.441% of the workforce in Emporia, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Emporia, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Emporia, VA have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Emporia, VA (842 out of 5.33k 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 55 - 64 and then Males < 5.

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

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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