24060Blacksburg, Virginia

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 24060.

56out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 36% of 5,298 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity5799th of 6,210 published ZIP areas28
SchoolsTop 14% of 4,422 published ZIP areas79
Growth3343rd of 5,428 published ZIP areas43
Housing affordability5459th of 6,685 published ZIP areas56
ClimateTop 25% of 6,789 published ZIP areas77
Physical resilienceTop 20% of 6,709 published ZIP areas82
Access6661st of 6,791 published ZIP areas43
Economic stability6535th of 6,742 published ZIP areas21
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable published ZIP profiles: unemployment is 6.5% and the Opportunity signal places 24060 in the bottom 7%.

Buying strains local incomes far more than renting does — the median home is 6.6 times median household income, against a historic benchmark near three — while rent takes 23% of it.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published ZIP profiles, placing 24060 in the top 20% for physical resilience.

At a glance

Population
48,541
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$67,675
Bottom 43% nationally
Density
371/sq mi
130.8 sq mi of land
Median age
27.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Blacksburg
Virginia
Metro area
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
Nearest major airport
GSO
84 mi · Piedmont Triad Intl
Median home value
$447,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 6.5% is lower than 5% of the 6,544 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment fell 2.2% over the past year, to 18,832 employed residents.

64% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 95% of measured US ZIP areas.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$8,581$67,675Bottom 43%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,559$42,914Top 32%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate33.6%Top 5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute17.9 minBottom 8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher64.0%Top 5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment18,832Bottom 17%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-7.3%Bottom 1%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-2.2%Bottom 15%June 2026
Labor force20,140Bottom 18%June 2026
Labor force participation54.9%Bottom 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$61,090Bottom 23%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$48,120Bottom 27%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)1.1%Top 4%June 2026
Unemployment rate6.5%Top 5%June 2026
Median household income, successive ACS releases
202120222023202468k57k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $67,675 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.
Largest occupations — Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators2,450$45,950
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,230$28,300
Cashiers1,790$28,770
Retail Salespersons1,690$31,780
Stockers and Order Fillers1,520$34,880
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners1,480$34,520

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.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Blacksburg, VA, the city containing this ZIP code.

71% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 76% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.8 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
7
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.8
across all schools here
Math proficiency
70.5%
Top 17% in Virginia
Reading proficiency
75.7%
Top 22% in Virginia
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Blacksburg HighMontgomery County Public Schools1,32515.1
Blacksburg MiddleMontgomery County Public Schools95813.169%77%
Prices Fork ElementaryMontgomery County Public Schools45713.459%64%
Kipps ElementaryMontgomery County Public Schools35813.869%73%
Margaret Beeks ElementaryMontgomery County Public Schools34613.374%75%
Gilbert Linkous ElementaryMontgomery County Public Schools29212.287%85%
Harding Avenue ElementaryMontgomery County Public Schools27913.375%85%

33.5% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with rather than how the schools perform, which is why AreaProfile shows it and does not score it.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Schools are placed by ZIP code, so this is which schools are in this place rather than which one a particular address is zoned for — district boundaries do not follow municipal ones, and enrollment zones change. Fully virtual schools are excluded: they enroll students from across the state while reporting one administrative address, and counting them here would describe a school population this place does not have. The assessment covers grades 3 through 8, so a high school shows no proficiency figure — a dash in those columns means the test was not given at that school, not that it performed badly. Proficiency is measured against Virginia’s own standard, so it compares cleanly within the state and only broadly against other states; AreaProfile therefore ranks it within state. The directory is current, while the proficiency figures are from the last school year with national coverage before the pandemic interrupted testing.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,314 takes 23% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 6.6 times median household income here, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.

Rent as a share of income
23.3%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
6.6×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,314
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$447,600
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income6.61Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate43.4%Bottom 6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±55522,981Top 2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$61$1,314Top 30%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$21,435$447,600Top 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income23.3%Top 20%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate16.7%Top 33%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
43/ 100
Ranks 3343 of 5,428 published city profiles

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.

New construction is predominantly single-family: only 0% of permitted units are in buildings of five or more homes.

At 2.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas.

Units permitted
94
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.1
Bottom 42% nationally
Year over year
+22%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Blacksburg, VA, the city containing this ZIP code.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 29°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 42.8 inches, including 14.8 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station ROANOKE RGNL AP, 24.6 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation42.8"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall14.8"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low29°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months71991-2020 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

82 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, lightning and drought.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 74% of measured US ZIP areas.

LandslideModerate
EarthquakeModerate
LightningModerate
DroughtModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, winter weather, inland flooding, avalanche, hurricane, hail, strong wind, wildfire, ice storm, tornado, heat wave.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offences. AreaProfile does not publish reported crime, and this is not a substitute for it — it says nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Montgomery County records 2.7 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 10.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, because nationally most firearm deaths are suicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 14.2 per 100,000 residents in Montgomery County.

Homicide
2.7
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Firearm deaths, all intents
10.1
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Drug overdose
14.2
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Suicide
17.2
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides. The two columns overlap and should not be added.

Age-adjusted rates from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC for Montgomery County as a whole — these rates are not published below county level. A county can hold both a dense city centre and a suburb whose experience of it is nothing alike, so this describes the county around 24060 rather than 24060 itself. That is why AreaProfile shows these figures and does not put them in the Area Score. Where fewer than ten deaths were recorded the count is suppressed at source, and a rate built on single figures moves sharply between releases. What this measure has that reported crime does not: a death certificate is filed whether or not the local police agency submitted a return that year, so the figures stay comparable between places and over time.

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
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer is the only source for reported offences with national coverage and a published method, and it requires an API key AreaProfile does not hold. Arrest counts, news volume and commercial “safety scores” are not substituted in the meantime. What is published above under Safety is a different measurement — deaths rather than offences, from death certificates rather than police returns — and it covers no property crime at all.
Taxes
No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, transparent methodology and update cadence. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Full cost of living
No public source publishes one with national coverage and a documented method. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest 84 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Piedmont Triad IntlGSO84 mi10,001 ft
Tri-CitiesTRI123 mi8,000 ft
Raleigh-Durham IntlRDU132 mi10,000 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.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
56
Your Score

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

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)
safetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
April, 2025 to March, 2026Quarterly, with a rolling twelve-month window alongside complete calendar years
schoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2019-20 school year; 2024-25 school yearDirectory annually; assessment results as EDFacts releases them

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.

24060 vs Blacksburg

How this ZIP area compares with Blacksburg as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like.

24060
Blacksburg
Median household income
$67,675
vs
$50,182
Per capita income
$42,914
vs
$31,899
Population density
371/sq mi
vs
2,296/sq mi
Median home value
$447,600
vs
$446,300
Median gross rent
$1,314
vs
$1,359
Homeownership rate
43.4%
vs
35.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher
64.0%
vs
69.2%
Poverty rate
33.6%
vs
42.7%
Median age
27.1
vs
21.9

Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.