Harrisonburg, Virginia

Area Profile

51,392 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Harrisonburg, in Harrisonburg city.

53out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 29% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 15 sources
Opportunity2,505th of 4,199 cities measured52
Schools3,644th of 4,162 cities measured20
Growth2,869th of 4,224 cities measured42
Housing affordabilityTop 26% of 4,218 cities measured75
Climate2,743rd of 4,225 cities measured65
Physical resilienceTop 45% of 4,226 cities measured63
Access4,136th of 4,226 cities measured43
Economic stability2,454th of 4,226 cities measured53
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.1% and median household income $62,254, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured.

In the public schools here, 70% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.8 students for every teacher.

Residential permitting has slowed: 153 units authorized over the past twelve months, 15% below the prior year. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
51,392
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$62,254
Bottom 43% nationally
Density
2,964/sq mi
17.3 sq mi of land
Median age
25.0
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Virginia
Nearest major airport
IAD
84 mi · Washington Dulles Intl
Median home value
$299,100
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.1%, lower than in 58% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 0.1% over the past year, to 24,345 employed residents.

37% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 79% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsHarrisonburg city, VA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$45,5103rd percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftHarrisonburg city, VA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$51,4469th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$4,1312024 ACS 5-Year$62,254Bottom 43%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,5662024 ACS 5-Year$28,857Bottom 33%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year14.3%Bottom 37%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year19.1 minTop 14%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year37.5%Top 21%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year67.9%23rd percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202624,345Bottom 29%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−4.1%Bottom 7%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−0.1%Top 36%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202625,38529th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year83.6%Top 29%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageHarrisonburg, VA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$56,890Bottom 8%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageHarrisonburg, VA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$46,110Bottom 10%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year1.8%89th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.1%Top 50%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.1%Top 42%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year9.1%57th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.22.3
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. 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.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202462k51k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $62,254 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 — 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

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

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.

70% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 63% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.8 students for every full-time teacher across 12 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
14
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.8
across 12 of them
Math proficiency
69.7%
Bottom 7% in Virginia
Reading proficiency
63.0%
Bottom 5% in Virginia
The 12 largest of 14 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Harrisonburg HighHarrisonburg City Public Schools99812.880%74%
Thomas Harrison MiddleHarrisonburg City Public Schools77113.573%70%
Skyline MiddleHarrisonburg City Public Schools73812.765%59%
Bluestone ElementaryHarrisonburg City Public Schools56614.576%63%
Waterman ElementaryHarrisonburg City Public Schools55714.774%65%
Stone Spring ElementaryHarrisonburg City Public Schools55415.070%60%
Smithland ElementaryHarrisonburg City Public Schools51413.271%56%
Keister ElementaryHarrisonburg City Public Schools47514.842%52%
Spotswood ElementaryHarrisonburg City Public Schools46814.257%42%
Mountain View ElementaryRockingham County Public Schools41113.766%68%
Lacey Spring ElementaryRockingham County Public Schools35015.272%67%
Pleasant Valley ElementaryRockingham County Public Schools28214.182%72%

83.1% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Virginia’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 6% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 93.5, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Harrisonburg, VA Metro Area is up 47% over five years, and up 4.5% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,281 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.76% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,322, some 12% above the $1,184 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,322 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $52,900 a year, about 85% of the median household income here of $62,254.

The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,184 a month.

A median home at $299,100 costs 3.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $96,320, above the historic benchmark of about 3 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.

Published for the Harrisonburg, VA Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
28.6%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.1×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,322
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,184
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$299,100
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Harrisonburg’s median household income of $62,254, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Harrisonburg, VA Metro Area’s figure202393.5Top 21%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Harrisonburg, VA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+4.5%74th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Harrisonburg, VA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+46.5%68th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Harrisonburg, VA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+79.8%27th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year3.1Bottom 32%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year39.5%4th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±702024 ACS 5-Year18,66797th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,057Top 27%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,801Top 34%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,322Top 29%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$522024 ACS 5-Year$1,184Bottom 33%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$12,2612024 ACS 5-Year$299,10072nd percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1102024 ACS 5-Year$2,28161st percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$5,3072024 ACS 5-Year$96,320Top 30%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year0.76%35th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year28.6%Bottom 48%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1262024 ACS 5-Year21094th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year1.1%63rd percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year5.9%44th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2892024 ACS 5-Year1,30796th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

42/ 100
Ranks 2,869 of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been rising for the last 4 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

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 fallen 1% since 2020, to 51,164 in 2024.

Permit activity rose in each of the 4 calendar years through 2025. Over the twelve months since, it has turned the other way — 15% below the prior year.

67% of the 153 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

Federal tax returns show Harrisonburg city, which contains Harrisonburg, lost about 2.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $45,510, below the $51,446 of households that moved out.

At 3.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
153
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.0
Top 44% nationally
Year over year
−15%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
66.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202452k51k
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. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−2.3%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
33%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$45,510
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$51,446
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Rockingham County, VA 956 people · 34% of arrivals
  2. Augusta County, VA 117 people · 4.2% of arrivals
  3. Shenandoah County, VA 84 people · 3.0% of arrivals
  4. Staunton city, VA 70 people · 2.5% of arrivals
  5. Fairfax County, VA 68 people · 2.4% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Rockingham County, VA 1,566 people · 44% of departures
  2. Augusta County, VA 184 people · 5.2% of departures
  3. Staunton city, VA 105 people · 3.0% of departures
  4. Fairfax County, VA 67 people · 1.9% of departures
  5. Albemarle County, VA 55 people · 1.6% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Harrisonburg city, VA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

20202021202220232024202520536
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2020 (+242%).

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, 3.6 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals39.0"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals19.4"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals23°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals86°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals42°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

63 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and strong wind, with inland flooding alone responsible for 67% of it. Inland flooding and strong wind are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

HurricaneModerate
EarthquakeModerate
Winter weatherModerate
Cold waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, lightning, inland flooding, heat wave, hail, landslide, ice storm, tornado, wildfire, drought, avalanche, volcanic activity, tsunami, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
211
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
1,401
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Harrisonburg's police department reported 211 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,401.

Harrisonburg city records 0.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 8.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at about 6.6 per 100,000 residents in Harrisonburg city.

Homicide
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
8.1
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
6.6
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Suicide
11.2
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Harrisonburg’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg city) rather than Harrisonburg itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest Washington Dulles Intl at 84 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year85.9%Bottom 34%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle84 miBottom 3%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle1Bottom 1%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year5.6%Top 40%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Washington Dulles IntlIAD84 mi11,500 ft
Richmond IntlRIC106 mi9,003 ft
Baltimore/Washington Intl Thurgood MarshallBWI129 mi10,503 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
53
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 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 every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Harrisonburg

2 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in Harrisonburg with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Harrisonburg closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
2280139,983$72,067$364,30050
2280230,374$66,423$280,700—