CensusEasy
METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Blacksburg Metro

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA · 5 counties · 178,237 residents · 1,455 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Compare
The short version

Blacksburg is home to 178,237 people. The median age is 32.7, younger than the US median of 37.2. 5% of people across the metro were born outside the United States. 20.4% of people across the metro live below the federal poverty line. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $158,668. Households take in $41,229 at the median, 22% less than the US figure.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 32.7
US median: 37.2
Average education
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 40%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
178,237
+8%since 2000
from 165,146 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
123 / sq mi
+8%since 2000
from 114 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
32.7
+4%since 2000
from 31.3 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
1,455 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
150K159K168K177K185K19902000201020202024Blacksburg
2024182K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 54.7%(8,465)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 94.9%(8,674)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 144.9%(8,679)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 1910%(17,807)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 2416.5%(29,383)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3411.7%(20,867)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4411.5%(20,482)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5411.9%(21,278)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411.2%(19,959)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 747.2%(12,750)
US avg: 7%
75 to 844%(7,116)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.6%(2,777)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$41,229
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,120 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$21,166
+22%since 2000
from $17,284 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
23.7%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 21.8% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
20.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2000
from 19.5% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.448
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade13.9%
US avg: 10.9%
Information11%
US avg: 11.5%
Wholesale trade6.1%
US avg: 7.2%
Other services4.5%
US avg: 7%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration2.8%
US avg: 4.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.6%
US avg: 4.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 2.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.3%
US avg: 3.1%
Construction1.1%
US avg: 1.4%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$158,668
+40%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $89,569 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$644
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $466 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
60.4%
−2.4 ptssince 2000
from 62.7% in 2000
39.6% rent
Vacancy rate
10.8%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.32 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.34 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
21.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 21.2% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.5% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
3.9
+4%since 2009
from 3.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic90.9%(150,195)
Black4.1%(6,754)
Hispanic / Latino1.3%(2,133)
Asian2.2%(3,675)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic88.7%(158,103)
Black4%(7,166)
Hispanic / Latino2.2%(3,974)
Asian3.1%(5,608)
Other1.6%(2,783)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican0.8%(1,318)
Puerto Rican0.3%(470)
Honduran0.2%(228)
Cuban0.1%(214)
Argentine0.1%(156)
Guatemalan0.1%(144)
Bolivian0.1%(138)
Salvadoran0.1%(122)
Chilean0.1%(107)
Peruvian0.1%(62)
+ 5 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.1%(47)
Venezuelan0.2%(39)
Colombian0%(27)
Nicaraguan0.1%(16)
Ancestry
German16.4%(28,904)
American13.8%(24,361)
Irish13%(22,949)
English12.1%(21,282)
Scotch-Irish3.5%(6,240)
Italian3.5%(6,137)
Scottish3.2%(5,581)
French2.4%(4,157)
Polish1.9%(3,408)
Dutch1.4%(2,528)
Welsh0.9%(1,640)
Swedish0.9%(1,518)
+ 42 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.7%(1,272)
British0.6%(1,055)
Norwegian0.6%(955)
Hungarian0.4%(775)
Greek0.5%(723)
Arab0.4%(650)
Czech0.3%(479)
Swiss0.3%(411)
Ukrainian0.2%(307)
Turkish0.3%(297)
Danish0.2%(280)
Romanian0.2%(278)
Iranian0.3%(271)
Egyptian0.2%(244)
Lithuanian0.2%(232)
Portuguese0.1%(228)
Finnish0.2%(216)
Austrian0.2%(210)
West Indian0.1%(192)
Ethiopian0.1%(147)
Lebanese0.1%(132)
Canadian0.1%(129)
Brazilian0.1%(113)
Belgian0.1%(102)
Slovak0.1%(102)
Jamaican0.1%(93)
Armenian0.1%(91)
Croatian0.1%(82)
Jordanian0.1%(55)
Serbian0%(41)
Bulgarian0%(27)
Latvian0%(19)
Guyanese0%(14)
Ghanaian0%(14)
Kenyan0%(12)
Slovene0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.0%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 26.4% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
84.9%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 79.3% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
13.9%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 12.8% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.0 min
+43%since 2000
from 14.6 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
77.6%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 78.0% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
11.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.1% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
1.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.5% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
4.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
3.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.6%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
6.5%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 6.5% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
18.3%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 17.3% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
37.8%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 36.5% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Female
49.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Foreign born
5.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
9.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.0% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married46.7%(37,126)
Married42.1%(33,456)
Widowed3.8%(3,021)
Divorced7.4%(5,903)
Women 15+
Never married37.6%(29,401)
Married43.8%(34,278)
Widowed8.2%(6,414)
Divorced10.4%(8,097)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
5.3%
−5.8 ptssince 2013
from 11.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
62.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 61.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.9%
−3.3 ptssince 2020
from 17.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
18.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 19.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
13.3%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 11.1% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 2.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
74.5%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 76.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
30.9%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 28.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)21.8%(1,752)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)24.6%(1,985)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33.5%(2,700)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.7%(220)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.5%(38)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 8,055 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

BlacksburgCENTRAL45,104ChristiansburgCENTRAL22,442RadfordCENTRAL17,243Pulaski8,807Pearisburg2,873Merrimac2,733Dublin2,652Fairlawn2,488Narrows2,036Shawsville1,411Pembroke1,139Plum Creek1,068Riner1,038Belview990Elliston952Prices Fork900Rich Creek738Lafayette628Floyd458Parrott401Draper348Ripplemead294New River268Belspring152Eggleston117Glen Lyn92Snowville77Hiwassee72Allisonia40
What's inside

5 component counties

Montgomery CountyCENTRAL98,434Pulaski County33,586RadfordCENTRAL17,243Giles County16,564Floyd County15,789
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Blacksburg

Abilene
Pop 185,429
Burlington
Pop 186,177
Muskegon
Pop 177,901
Decatur
Pop 160,326
Places similar to Blacksburg
Head to head

Compare Blacksburg side by side

BLACKSBURG VS
Abilene
Income$66,693+62%
Home value$182,918+15%
Population185,429+2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BLACKSBURG VS
Burlington
Income$65,651+59%
Home value$241,500+52%
Population186,177+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BLACKSBURG VS
Muskegon
Income$65,024+58%
Home value$198,300+25%
Population177,901−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BLACKSBURG VS
Decatur
Income$68,260+66%
Home value$203,625+28%
Population160,326−12%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA?

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA has about 178,237 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA?

The typical household in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA earns about $41,229 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA expensive?

In Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA, the median home is worth about $158,668, and the typical rent is about $644 a month.

How educated are people in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA?

About 30.0% of adults age 25 and over in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA?

About 20.4% of people in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA live below the federal poverty line.

Has Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA grown since 1990?

Yes, Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 25,517 residents, a change of about 17 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →