Harrisonburg, VA

Metro Area Profile

136,992 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Harrisonburg, VA metropolitan area.

62out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 43% of 379 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 41% of 379 metros measured60
GrowthTop 22% of 821 metros measured68
Housing affordability599th of 822 metros measured86
Climate437th of 822 metros measured65
Physical resilience515th of 822 metros measured47
Access750th of 822 metros measured44
Economic stabilityTop 44% of 822 metros measured55
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.0% and median household income $75,065, putting employment conditions in the middle range of published metro profiles.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 1,015 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 22% on the prior year.

Rent takes 19% of median household income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 4.1 times that income.

At a glance

Population
136,992
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$75,065
Top 27% nationally
Density
158/sq mi
867.1 sq mi of land
Median age
34.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Harrisonburg, VA
Nearest major airport
IAD
83 mi · Washington Dulles Intl
Median home value
$309,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.0% is lower than 60% of the 379 measured US metros.

Employment fell 0.2% over the past year, to 68,347 employed residents.

32% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 72% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$2,617$75,065Top 27%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,318$36,670Top 44%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate15.3%Top 37%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute21.9 minBottom 27%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher31.6%Top 28%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Employment68,347Bottom 26%of 379June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-1.8%Bottom 21%of 379June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.2%Top 33%of 379June 2026
Labor force71,159Bottom 26%of 379June 2026
Labor force participation63.0%Top 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$56,890Bottom 27%of 3812025 OEWS
Median annual wage$46,110Bottom 31%of 3812025 OEWS
Metro employment65,460Bottom 29%of 3812025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.5%Top 24%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate4.0%Bottom 40%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/064.02.1
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.0% in June 2026. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.
Largest occupations — Harrisonburg, VA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,590$29,240
Retail Salespersons1,980$33,350
Stockers and Order Fillers1,650$38,130
Cashiers1,460$28,980
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners1,420$34,180
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand1,390$38,320

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Prices for everything a household buys run about 6% below the national average, on the Bureau of Economic Analysis index. Housing drives most of that difference.

Median rent of $1,173 takes 19% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.1 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Cost of living
93.5

Prices here run about 6% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Rent as a share of income
18.8%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.1×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,173
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$309,300
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living index93.5Top 44%of 3812023
Home price to income4.12Top 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate62.9%Bottom 15%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±9855,217Top 37%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$34$1,173Top 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$7,286$309,300Top 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income18.8%Top 43%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate9.4%Bottom 35%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
68/ 100
Top 22% of 821 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 138,838 in 2024.

Population is still rising, but more slowly than in the preceding year.

At 7.4 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
1,015
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
7.4
Top 12% nationally
Year over year
+22%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
40.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024139k135k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 86°F and January a low of 23°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 39.0 inches, including 19.4 inches of snow.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station DALE ENTERPRISE, 4.5 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation39.0"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall19.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low23°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high86°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing42°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

47 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and earthquake.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 76% of measured US metros.

HurricaneModerate
Inland floodingModerate
EarthquakeModerate
Winter weatherModerate
Cold waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: lightning, strong wind, landslide, heat wave, drought, hail, wildfire, avalanche, ice storm, tornado.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offences reported to police are published by department rather than by town, and only where a department reported every month of the year. No municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — so there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Taxes
Taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Cost of living now is — the index above is the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parity for this area — but it is a price level for all consumption rather than a budget for a household, its spread is driven mostly by housing, and it excludes taxes. Housing affordability is computed separately from rent, price and income, because that answers a narrower and more actionable question. Nothing here is individualised tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house. School attendance zones, insurance pricing and the character of a neighbourhood all vary within the places measured here.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest 83 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Washington Dulles IntlIAD83 mi11,500 ft
Richmond IntlRIC110 mi9,003 ft
Arnold Palmer RgnlLBE125 mi8,222 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
62
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023Annually, each December
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 30, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

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