Harrisonburg, VA

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

136,992

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

34.9

0.287% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

15.3%

1.1% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$75,065

4.05% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$309,300

Population & Diversity

Harrisonburg, VA is home to a population of 137k people, from which 93.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 10.6% of Harrisonburg, VA residents were born outside of the country (14.5k people).

In 2024, there were 12.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (103k people) in Harrisonburg, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8.56k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 5.77k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.8%

2024 Citizenship

93.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.8% of Harrisonburg, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Harrisonburg, VA was 93.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Harrisonburg, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
103k ± 375
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
8.56k ± 957
Other (Hispanic)
5.77k ± 1.05k

14.7%

Hispanic Population

20.1k people

14.7% of the people in Harrisonburg, VA are hispanic (20.1k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA 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

10.6%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

14.5k people

10.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

14k people

As of 2024, 10.6% of Harrisonburg, VA residents (14.5k 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 Harrisonburg, VA was 10.3%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,771 ± 276
Gulf War (2001-)
1,370 ± 296
Gulf War (1990s)
722 ± 135

Harrisonburg, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.29 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Harrisonburg, VA employs 67.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Harrisonburg, VA were Educational Services (9,485 people), Manufacturing (9,128 people), and Retail Trade (7,739 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($71,406), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($61,797), and Wholesale Trade ($60,295).

Employment

Occupations

67.6k

2024 Value

± 2,010

0.94%

1 Year growth

± 4.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Harrisonburg, VA grew at a rate of 0.94%, from 66.9k employees to 67.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Harrisonburg, VA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,825 people), Management Occupations (6,364 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (5,653 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Harrisonburg, 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

67.6k

2024 Value

± 2,010

0.94%

1 Year growth

± 4.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Harrisonburg, VA grew at a rate of 0.94%, from 66.9k employees to 67.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Harrisonburg, VA, are Educational Services (9,485 people), Manufacturing (9,128 people), and Retail Trade (7,739 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Harrisonburg, VA, though some of these residents may live in Harrisonburg, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,831

Median earning men ± $1,443

$32,959

Median earning women ± $1,706

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($66,871), Information ($65,725), and Manufacturing ($63,333).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($48,012), Public Administration ($47,234), and Construction ($44,076).

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.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

284
Other Services (except Public Administration)
260
Construction
191
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$615k
Manufacturing
$383k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$262k
Transportation and Warehousing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Harrisonburg, VA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 10,873 male students and 14,469 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Harrisonburg, VA are White (4,754 and 76.1%), Hispanic or Latino (485 and 7.76%), Black or African American (293 and 4.69%), and Asian (282 and 4.51%).

The largest universities in Harrisonburg, VA by number of degrees awarded are James Madison University (5,616 and 88.4%), Eastern Mennonite University (414 and 6.51%), and Bridgewater College (325 and 5.11%).

The most popular majors in Harrisonburg, VA are Speech Communication & Rhetoric (455 and 7.16%), Community Health Services (451 and 7.1%), and General Psychology (348 and 5.48%).

The median tuition costs are $29,035 for private four year colleges, and $8,150 and $25,496 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Harrisonburg, VA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 74.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 17%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 25,342 (42.9% men and 57.1% 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 25,342 students enrolled in Harrisonburg, VA, 42.9% men and 57.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 17,944 records, of which 57.4% were women and 42.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Community Health Services
451 degrees awarded
Speech Communication & Rhetoric
439 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
330 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Harrisonburg, VA was Community Health Services with 451 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

James Madison University
5,616 degrees awarded
Eastern Mennonite University
414 degrees awarded
Bridgewater College
325 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was James Madison University with 5,616 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 2,360 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Harrisonburg, VA, which is 0.591 times less than the 3,995 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 4,754 degrees mean that there were 9.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 485 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

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($29,035) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($5,816) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,254) 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 Harrisonburg, VA was $309,300 in 2024, which is 0.93 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $284,800 to $309,300, a 8.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Harrisonburg, VA is 62.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Harrisonburg, VA have an average commute time of 20.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Harrisonburg, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$309,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,286

$31,459

Median Property Taxes

±$1,193

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

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

Rent vs Own

62.9%

Homeownership

2024

68%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 62.9% of the housing units in Harrisonburg, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 62.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Harrisonburg, 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.

$75,065

Median Household Income

± $2,617

50k

Number of Households

± 1,682

In 2024, the median household income of the 50k households in Harrisonburg, VA grew to $75,065 from the previous year's value of $72,145.

The following chart displays the households in Harrisonburg, 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 Harrisonburg, 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 (74.1%)
Carpooled (11.3%)
Worked At Home (9.18%)

In 2024, 74.1% of workers in Harrisonburg, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.3%) and those who worked at home (9.18%).

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

20.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Harrisonburg, VA have a shorter commute time (20.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.31% of the workforce in Harrisonburg, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Harrisonburg, VA (19.5k out of 127k 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 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

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

Keep Exploring