Jobs, pay and daily life in Blacksburg, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Blacksburg is a city in Virginia with 45,446 residents. The median household earns $50,182 a year and the median rent is $1,359 a month, which is 32.5% of the median household income. It is part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 74,070 jobs.
How Blacksburg compares. Among the 100 largest places in Virginia, Blacksburg is #22 by population, #1 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #98 for household income (#1 = highest), #97 for homeownership (#1 = highest). Its county, Montgomery County, is #35 of 133 counties for average pay ($60,810).
Blacksburg has 45,446 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.5% of the population of Virginia. It covers 20 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,296 people per square mile. The median age is 21.9, 44% younger than the state median (21.9 against 39.0).
The median gross rent is $1,359 a month (rent plus utilities), 14% below the state median ($1,359 against $1,579). Over a year that is 32.5% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so rent here is above that line for the typical household. The median home value is $446,300, which is 8.9 times the median household income ($50,182); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 35.8% of households own their home, 47% below the state average (35.8% against 67.3%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA metropolitan area has 74,070 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $48,120 a year, 6% below the national median ($48,120 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are educational instruction and library (7,840 jobs, median $66,420); production (7,420 jobs, median $47,600); office and administrative support (7,380 jobs, median $44,020). The area is most specialised in production (1.8 times) and educational instruction and library (1.8 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are educational instruction and library ($66,420) and production ($47,600). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Montgomery County was 3.9%. 50.4% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Montgomery County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 51.0% drive alone, 6.2% use public transit, 11.8% walk, 18.2% work from home. 4.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 76% below the state average (4.2% against 17.6%).
69.2% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 64% above the state share (69.2% against 42.2%). 14.6% of residents were born outside the United States, 11% above the state share (14.6% against 13.1%). The poverty rate is 42.7%, 332% above the state rate (42.7% against 9.9%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 73°F (22.7°C), and the coolest is Jan at 32°F (-0.2°C). About 1,144 mm (45 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (120 mm) and Jan the driest (73 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Christiansburg (6 miles, rent 13% lower); Radford (11 miles, rent 24% lower); Salem (21 miles, rent 17% lower); Cave Spring (23 miles, rent 5% lower). Rent differences are against Blacksburg; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Virginia (1,132) →State guide: VirginiaCountry guideMontgomery CountyVirginia rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,132 federal postings open in Virginia (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Virginia →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 2,450 | 3.67 | $45,950 | $37,390 | $62,860 | +3% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,230 | 1.21 | $28,300 | $26,660 | $35,820 | -9% |
| Cashiers | 1,790 | 1.22 | $28,770 | $26,430 | $35,420 | -12% |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,690 | 0.91 | $31,780 | $26,920 | $45,400 | -10% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,520 | 1.13 | $34,880 | $29,280 | $47,040 | -7% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,480 | 1.41 | $34,520 | $28,210 | $44,630 | -6% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,480 | 1.26 | $42,420 | $31,260 | $57,500 | -6% |
| Registered Nurses | 1,330 | 0.83 | $81,230 | $64,660 | $95,330 | -17% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,310 | 0.94 | $46,440 | $30,990 | $60,300 | +15% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,290 | 0.77 | $97,480 | $49,710 | $207,930 | -8% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,080 | 1.00 | $37,670 | $26,640 | $60,090 | +7% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,050 | 0.51 | $29,700 | $27,540 | $42,060 | -17% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 930 | 1.28 | $48,040 | $34,480 | $68,540 | -3% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 920 | 0.94 | $53,980 | $37,910 | $76,040 | -8% |
| Nursing Assistants | 760 | 1.10 | $37,850 | $31,520 | $46,530 | -10% |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | 730 | 3.11 | $52,060 | $40,190 | $73,020 | -12% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 720 | 1.07 | $35,050 | $28,560 | $43,480 | -6% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 720 | 1.10 | $51,620 | $36,750 | $65,000 | +2% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 700 | 0.86 | $44,100 | $31,270 | $63,350 | -7% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 640 | 0.52 | $37,430 | $29,380 | $54,240 | -16% |
These figures are for the whole Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $48,120 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.9% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 42.2% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 18.5% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.8% |
| Retail trade | 9.6% |
| Manufacturing | 3.9% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.1% |
| Other services | 2.5% |
| Construction | 2.5% |
| Public administration | 1.7% |
| Information | 1.6% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 1.6% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.4% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Blacksburg lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | 99,101 | n/a | n/a | 43,202 | 2,613 | $60,810 | +0.0% | 3.9% | 48,358 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5,019 | 17.5% | $67,797 | 1.41 |
| Health care and social assistance | 4,741 | 16.5% | $56,200 | 0.77 |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,417 | 15.4% | $23,548 | 1.12 |
| Retail trade | 4,374 | 15.2% | $34,419 | 1.01 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,481 | 8.6% | $113,290 | 0.83 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,800 | 6.3% | $44,889 | 0.71 |
| Construction | 1,196 | 4.2% | $62,257 | 0.53 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 940 | 3.3% | $46,101 | 0.72 |
| Real estate and rental | 700 | 2.4% | $51,388 | 1.04 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 604 | 2.1% | $42,062 | 0.33 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 547 | 1.9% | $20,197 | 0.75 |
| Finance and insurance | 516 | 1.8% | $81,964 | 0.29 |
| Educational services | 454 | 1.6% | $57,716 | 0.51 |
| Wholesale trade | 387 | 1.3% | $65,350 | 0.23 |
| Management of companies | 221 | 0.8% | $94,643 | 0.30 |
| Information | 158 | 0.6% | $75,005 | 0.20 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 59 | 0.2% | $35,622 | 0.17 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 48 | 0.2% | $90,313 | 0.29 |
| Utilities | 46 | 0.2% | $70,989 | 0.28 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 51.0% |
| Public transit | 6.2% |
| Walk | 11.8% |
| Work from home | 18.2% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 4.2% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,182 |
| Income per person | $31,899 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,359 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 32.5% |
| Median home value | $446,300 |
| Homeowners | 35.8% |
| Poverty rate | 42.7% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 92.7 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $48,120 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 5.75%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 21.9 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 98.0% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 69.2% |
| Born abroad | 14.6% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 50.4% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0.2 | 32 | 73 |
| Feb | 1.3 | 34 | 77 |
| Mar | 5.8 | 42 | 88 |
| Apr | 11.6 | 53 | 104 |
| May | 16.4 | 62 | 117 |
| Jun | 20.6 | 69 | 108 |
| Jul | 22.7 | 73 | 120 |
| Aug | 22.3 | 72 | 98 |
| Sep | 18.9 | 66 | 101 |
| Oct | 12.4 | 54 | 91 |
| Nov | 6.2 | 43 | 80 |
| Dec | 1.8 | 35 | 87 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christiansburg | VA | 6 mi | 22,720 | $77,147 | $1,181 |
| Radford | VA | 11 mi | 16,726 | $57,348 | $1,033 |
| Salem | VA | 21 mi | 25,618 | $66,725 | $1,133 |
| Cave Spring | VA | 23 mi | 25,742 | $87,539 | $1,285 |
| Roanoke | VA | 26 mi | 98,355 | $55,378 | $996 |
| Hollins | VA | 27 mi | 17,097 | $77,456 | $1,193 |
| Princeton | WV | 38 mi | 5,736 | $43,900 | $747 |
| Lewisburg | WV | 40 mi | 3,835 | $49,560 | $893 |
| Bluefield | WV | 43 mi | 9,387 | $49,375 | $804 |
| Martinsville | VA | 49 mi | 13,658 | $46,727 | $808 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
45,446 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,359 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 32.5% of the median household income.
$50,182 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.9% (BLS county, Montgomery County (latest month 2026M09)).
Virginia. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.