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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Blacksburg, VA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Blacksburg profile


Living in Blacksburg



Blacksburg is a medium-sized town located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 45,610 people and 13 associated neighborhoods, Blacksburg is the 23rd largest community in Virginia.

Blacksburg real estate is some of the most expensive in Virginia, although Blacksburg house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Also of interest is that Blacksburg has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Blacksburg has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 14.76% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Because Blacksburg has a very large number of students who are 18 years or older and in college, it is thought of as a college town. This has a major influence on local Blacksburg lifestyle, entertainment, and culture in general. Life in Blacksburg is very much tied to the academic calendar: when students return from the summer break in the fall, one will notice them out and about, buying groceries, out with friends, and generally getting re-acquainted with each other. In Blacksburg people study hard and play hard, and there is ample opportunity to do both.

Blacksburg, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the town.

One of the benefits of Blacksburg is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 15.75 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

Many people in Blacksburg take advantage of public transportation to get around. In fact, for the size of the town, the number of people who use the bus to commute to work is quite high. This helps to fill a need among Blacksburg citizens for affordable transportation.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Blacksburg. 67.21% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Blacksburg in 2018 was $25,268, which is low income relative to Virginia, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $101,072 for a family of four. However, Blacksburg contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Blacksburg also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 45.13% of its population below the federal poverty line.

Blacksburg is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Blacksburg home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Blacksburg residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Blacksburg include German, English, Irish, Italian, and European.

The most common language spoken in Blacksburg is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.