AreaProfile

Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA

Metro Area Profile

126,822 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA metropolitan area.

64
Area Score
Bottom 49% of 361 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 28% of 361 published metros67
GrowthTop 46% of 440 published metros53
Housing affordability232nd of 441 published metros90
ClimateTop 40% of 441 published metros70
Physical resilienceTop 36% of 441 published metros67
Access427th of 441 published metros9
Economic stabilityTop 22% of 441 published metros78
The quick read

The nearest major airport is 105 miles away, which is farther than most measured US metros.

Its Area Score of 64 places Staunton-Stuarts Draft in the top 51% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
126,822
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$73,544
Top 31% nationally
Density
127/sq mi
1002.0 sq mi of land
Median age
42.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
Nearest major airport
IAD
105 mi · Washington Dulles Intl
Median home value
$284,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.3% is lower than 87% of the 361 measured US metros.

Employment fell 0.3% over the past year, to 64,216 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$3,005$73,544Top 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,035$38,190Top 36%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate8.6%Bottom 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute24.4 minTop 48%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher27.7%Top 40%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment64,216Bottom 21%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-0.6%Bottom 35%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.3%Top 37%June 2026
Labor force66,404Bottom 21%June 2026
Labor force participation61.0%Top 45%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$57,310Bottom 28%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$48,040Top 49%2025 OEWS
Metro employment51,640Bottom 15%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.3%Top 32%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.3%Bottom 13%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/064.02.0
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.3% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand1,880$47,310
Retail Salespersons1,520$33,440
Registered Nurses1,500$92,390
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,470$29,310
Cashiers1,330$29,530
Stockers and Order Fillers1,240$36,880

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 →

Median rent of $1,068 takes 17% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.9 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
17.4%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.9×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,068
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$284,500
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.87Top 30%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate72.2%Top 36%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±6756,018Top 37%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$43$1,068Top 35%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,865$284,500Top 28%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income17.4%Bottom 40%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.8%Bottom 14%2024 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
53/ 100
Top 46% of 440 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 128,481 in 2024.

At 6.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
783
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
6.2
Top 24% nationally
Year over year
−12%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
21.1%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024128k126k
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

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 25°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 40.6 inches, including 21.6 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 STAUNTON WTP, 2.4 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation40.6"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall21.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low25°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high84°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing40°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

67 / 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 87% of measured US metros.

HurricaneModerate
Inland floodingModerate
EarthquakeModerate
Winter weatherModerate
Cold waveModerate

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

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.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

No airport meeting the AreaProfile major-airport definition lies within 100 miles; the nearest is 105 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Washington Dulles IntlIAD105 mi11,500 ft
Richmond IntlRIC109 mi9,003 ft
Arnold Palmer RgnlLBE147 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
64
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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)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
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 29, 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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