Official Federal Data
Charlottesville city, Virginia
FIPS 51540 · Charlottesville, VA · Population 45,437
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$74,824 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.9% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
24,942
Labor Force
62.5% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$74,824 ▲
Per Capita
$51,540 ▲
Mean Household
$115,236 ▲
Poverty Rate
19.6% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Charlottesville city$74,824
Virginia$93,170
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 16.5%
18-34 · 36.7%
35-54 · 23.8%
55-64 · 9.6%
65+ · 13.5%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.9 pts
62.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +26.8 pts
35.6%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +21.5 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
45,437
Population
24,942
Labor Force
Employed
23,963
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.9% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 9 min below national avg
17.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
21.4%
Key Takeaways
- Elevated poverty: At 19.6%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 26.8 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
- Young population: Median age of 33 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Accommodation and Food Services employs 5,579 workers (23.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $30,429.
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $161,709 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $30,429, a 5.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Accommodation & Food Services Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
5,580
Cluster Employment
1.86x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles
3.73x 30
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
3.44x 1,172
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
3.17x 248
Private Households
2.74x 134
2.24x 122
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
2.19x 467
Accommodation
1.86x 852
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related
1.81x 250
Food Services and Drinking Places
1.63x 4,728
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
1.55x 421
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.30x
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
185 employed
0.34x
Food Manufacturing
144 employed
0.34x
Chemical Manufacturing
73 employed
0.34x
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
110 employed
0.44x
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
354 employed
0.44x
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
213 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles concentrates at 3.73x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$486,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,540 ▲
Rent/Mo
44.2% ▲
Owner-Occ
8.3% ▼
Vacancy
6.5x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Stretched
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,421/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,602/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,824/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,218/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,731/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,871/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Stretched market: Home value to income ratio of 6.5x is well above the ~4.1x national average; attainable workforce housing may be a recruitment friction.
- Renter-majority market: 44.2% owner-occupied; flexible labor mobility but consider home-buying pipeline if attracting families.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,871/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
31,839 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 9 min below national avg
17.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
21.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
62.5% ▲
HS Diploma+
93.5% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
72,277/yr
25,513/yr
10,335/yr
10,020/yr
9,615/yr
9,087/yr
7,707/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
13.7%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
63.4%
Service
15.2%
Sales & Office
14.5%
Construction / Maint.
2.4%
Production / Transport
4.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 23,963 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 17.0-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 45,868 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Charlottesville city shows meaningful potential for funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles attraction, with a 3.73x concentration and 30 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles, religious, grantmaking, civic, professional orgs, and beverage and tobacco product manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Charlottesville city, Virginia, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Charlottesville city, Virginia?
45,437 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Charlottesville city, Virginia?
$74,824 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Charlottesville city, Virginia?
2.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
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