Blacksburg, Virginia

Population

Growing. Up 0.8% since 2020.

45,104

people, the 14th-largest of Virginia's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Virginia's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

8 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

79.0%

of 22,626 jobs located in Blacksburg are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 3.6%.

5.4%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 5.3%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 78% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,359

a month. Virginia's median is $1,579.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $644.

A $644 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Montgomery County.

• $944 Tract 203.02
• $1,588 Tract 213

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,092–$1,638

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,359 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

71% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 2,199 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 68% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 71% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 1% to the 17,028 homes here.

120–226

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 16% more than Virginia's.

$446,300

median home value in Blacksburg.

• $446,300 Blacksburg
• $383,700 Virginia
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year