Jobs, pay and daily life in Lynchburg, 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.
Lynchburg is a city in Virginia with 79,497 residents. The median household earns $57,947 a year and the median rent is $1,073 a month, which is 22.2% of the median household income. It is part of the Lynchburg, VA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 97,190 jobs.
How Lynchburg compares. Among the 100 largest places in Virginia, Lynchburg is #12 by population, #3 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #8 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #91 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, Lynchburg City, is #43 of 133 counties for average pay ($58,705).
Lynchburg has 79,497 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.9% of the population of Virginia. It covers 49 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,625 people per square mile. The median age is 28.6, 27% younger than the state median (28.6 against 39.0).
The median gross rent is $1,073 a month (rent plus utilities), 32% below the state median ($1,073 against $1,579). Over a year that is 22.2% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $229,800, which is 4.0 times the median household income ($57,947); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 48.9% of households own their home, 27% below the state average (48.9% against 67.3%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Lynchburg, VA metropolitan area has 97,190 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $46,190 a year, 9% below the national median ($46,190 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (10,070 jobs, median $43,510); sales and related (10,060 jobs, median $33,910); food preparation and serving related (9,640 jobs, median $30,170). The area is most specialised in production (1.5 times) and sales and related (1.2 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are healthcare practitioners and technical ($78,320) and business and financial operations ($73,890). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Lynchburg City was 4.7%. 58.4% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Lynchburg City; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 68.3% drive alone, 2.2% use public transit, 5.1% walk, 13.8% work from home. 5.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 70% below the state average (5.2% against 17.6%).
38.5% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 9% below the state share (38.5% against 42.2%). 4.8% of residents were born outside the United States, 63% below the state share (4.8% against 13.1%). The poverty rate is 18.6%, 88% above the state rate (18.6% against 9.9%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 76°F (24.7°C), and the coolest is Jan at 33°F (0.3°C). About 1,129 mm (44 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (116 mm) and Jan the driest (71 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: Hollins (42 miles, rent 11% higher); Roanoke (43 miles, rent 7% lower); Cave Spring (46 miles, rent 20% higher); Salem (48 miles, rent 6% higher). Rent differences are against Lynchburg; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Virginia (1,132) →State guide: VirginiaCountry guideLynchburg CityVirginia 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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 3,280 | 1.36 | $28,220 | $26,530 | $34,810 | -10% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,950 | 1.21 | $30,570 | $26,350 | $42,990 | -14% |
| Cashiers | 2,810 | 1.46 | $28,390 | $25,810 | $34,290 | -14% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,200 | 1.04 | $80,450 | $69,530 | $99,350 | -18% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,120 | 0.79 | $27,810 | $26,710 | $36,040 | -22% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,080 | 1.17 | $30,960 | $26,720 | $42,720 | -17% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,930 | 0.88 | $95,040 | $48,740 | $202,630 | -10% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,590 | 1.15 | $31,500 | $28,000 | $43,820 | -14% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,440 | 0.93 | $40,220 | $28,150 | $59,280 | -11% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,410 | 1.00 | $36,780 | $26,270 | $59,870 | +4% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,410 | 1.09 | $55,020 | $37,720 | $71,690 | -6% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,300 | 1.43 | $43,660 | $36,480 | $45,860 | +3% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,220 | 0.75 | $37,670 | $29,390 | $56,070 | -16% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,100 | 0.60 | $36,080 | $28,440 | $48,950 | -10% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,080 | 1.24 | $50,470 | $48,340 | $72,130 | -21% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,000 | 1.14 | $35,080 | $28,210 | $43,560 | -6% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 960 | 1.37 | $45,290 | $31,040 | $68,550 | -7% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 930 | 1.04 | $31,570 | $25,880 | $45,340 | -14% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 910 | 0.85 | $41,510 | $30,730 | $58,860 | -13% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 890 | 1.04 | $47,060 | $33,160 | $64,760 | -7% |
These figures are for the whole Lynchburg, VA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $46,190 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.9% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 31.2% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 12.7% |
| Retail trade | 11.7% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.0% |
| Manufacturing | 9.7% |
| Other services | 5.7% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.5% |
| Construction | 4.4% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 3.8% |
| Public administration | 2.9% |
| Information | 1.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.7% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.4% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Lynchburg 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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynchburg City | 79,497 | n/a | n/a | 47,689 | 2,654 | $58,705 | -1.7% | 4.7% | 36,977 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 10,607 | 24.7% | $68,397 | 1.55 |
| Retail trade | 5,800 | 13.5% | $33,958 | 1.22 |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,611 | 13.1% | $21,438 | 1.29 |
| Manufacturing | 5,088 | 11.9% | $72,745 | 1.30 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,118 | 7.3% | $110,615 | 0.94 |
| Construction | 1,682 | 3.9% | $77,962 | 0.67 |
| Educational services | 1,676 | 3.9% | $42,426 | 1.70 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,592 | 3.7% | $95,850 | 0.82 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,315 | 3.1% | $42,113 | 0.92 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,300 | 3.0% | $75,897 | 0.69 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,239 | 2.9% | $38,121 | 0.44 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,080 | 2.5% | $58,098 | 0.53 |
| Management of companies | 918 | 2.1% | $84,689 | 1.14 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 816 | 1.9% | $19,540 | 1.02 |
| Real estate and rental | 625 | 1.5% | $45,982 | 0.84 |
| Information | 373 | 0.9% | $66,759 | 0.42 |
| Utilities | 61 | 0.1% | $106,622 | 0.34 |
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 | 68.3% |
| Public transit | 2.2% |
| Walk | 5.1% |
| Work from home | 13.8% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 5.2% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,947 |
| Income per person | $29,937 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,073 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 22.2% |
| Median home value | $229,800 |
| Homeowners | 48.9% |
| Poverty rate | 18.6% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 89.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $46,190 |
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 | 28.6 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 91.0% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 38.5% |
| Born abroad | 4.8% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 58.4% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.3 | 33 | 71 |
| Feb | 1.8 | 35 | 71 |
| Mar | 6.5 | 44 | 87 |
| Apr | 12.6 | 55 | 97 |
| May | 17.6 | 64 | 116 |
| Jun | 22.3 | 72 | 106 |
| Jul | 24.7 | 76 | 104 |
| Aug | 24.1 | 75 | 94 |
| Sep | 20.2 | 68 | 108 |
| Oct | 13.4 | 56 | 96 |
| Nov | 7.0 | 45 | 88 |
| Dec | 2.4 | 36 | 91 |
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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollins | VA | 42 mi | 17,097 | $77,456 | $1,193 |
| Roanoke | VA | 43 mi | 98,355 | $55,378 | $996 |
| Cave Spring | VA | 46 mi | 25,742 | $87,539 | $1,285 |
| Salem | VA | 48 mi | 25,618 | $66,725 | $1,133 |
| Waynesboro | VA | 49 mi | 22,841 | $59,994 | $1,020 |
| Staunton | VA | 53 mi | 25,948 | $65,581 | $1,024 |
| Danville | VA | 58 mi | 42,214 | $44,423 | $836 |
| Charlottesville | VA | 59 mi | 45,437 | $74,824 | $1,540 |
| Martinsville | VA | 62 mi | 13,658 | $46,727 | $808 |
| Blacksburg | VA | 69 mi | 45,446 | $50,182 | $1,359 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
79,497 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,073 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 22.2% of the median household income.
$57,947 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.7% (BLS county, Lynchburg City (latest month 2026M09)).
Virginia. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.