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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 45,485 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.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 17.19% 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.

In addition, Blacksburg is a major college town that has a very high percentage of its residents over 18 years old who are college students. Naturally, collegiate life has a major influence on local Blacksburg culture, lifestyle and entertainment options. Blacksburg really pulses to the beat of the academic calendar. In Blacksburg every fall, returning students reinvigorate the community, who you will notice are all over town, buying groceries, out with friends, and getting acquainted or re-acquainted with each other and Blacksburg. One of the beneficial effects that colleges provide is that they tend to be lasting institutions that deliver direct economic benefits to the local economy in the form of such things as jobs for faculty and staff, and spending by students. Blacksburg benefits directly from this.

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

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Blacksburg spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 16.65 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.

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.

If knowledge is power, Blacksburg is a pretty powerful place. 69.74% of the adults in Blacksburg have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Blacksburg in 2022 was $29,454, which is lower middle income relative to Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $117,816 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 42.77% 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 Polish.

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