Official Federal Data
Montgomery County, Virginia
FIPS 51121 · Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA · Population 99,101
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$72,715 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.7% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
49,015
Labor Force
48.8% ▲
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
$72,715 ▲
Per Capita
$38,426 ▲
Mean Household
$99,780 ▲
Poverty Rate
23.9% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Montgomery County$72,715
Virginia$93,170
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 15.3%
18-34 · 40.3%
35-54 · 20.7%
55-64 · 9.6%
65+ · 14.1%
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+
95.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +6.2 pts
48.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +13.1 pts
26%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +11.9 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
99,101
Population
49,015
Labor Force
Employed
47,306
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.7% ▲ +0.6 pts YoY
Mean Commute 8 min below national avg
18.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14%
Key Takeaways
- Elevated poverty: At 23.9%, 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 13.1 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
- Young population: Median age of 30 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: Manufacturing employs 5,243 workers (19.7% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $70,427.
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $96,689 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $23,740, a 4.1x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW.
Seeing a change here?
Get Deeper Trends
EP customers get year-over-year deltas, WARN notices, and SEC filings for every sector tracked above, surfaced as proactive alerts, not after-the-fact news.
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
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,748
Cluster Employment
11.60x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
11.60x 1,414
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
1.94x 334
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.20x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
62 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing concentrates at 11.60x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- 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
$304,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,240 ▲
Rent/Mo
55.3% ▼
Owner-Occ
13.6% ▲
Vacancy
4.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$910/mo
1 Bedroom
$993/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,271/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,706/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,132/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,818/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Elevated vacancy: 13.6% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,818/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
70,028 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 8 min below national avg
18.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83.3%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
48.8% ▲
HS Diploma+
95.8% ▲
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
13.6%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
50.7%
Service
17.8%
Sales & Office
16.7%
Construction / Maint.
5.9%
Production / Transport
8.9%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 47,306 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Low participation: 58.4% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- Short commutes: 18.2-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
Montgomery County shows strong potential for electrical equipment, appliance manufacturing attraction, with a 11.60x concentration and 1,414 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
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
Illustrative example
Take it further
AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.
Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.
Schedule a DemoAvailable as premium offerings.
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 Montgomery County, Virginia, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Montgomery County, Virginia?
99,101 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Montgomery County, Virginia?
$72,715 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Montgomery County, Virginia?
3.7% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
Montgomery County, VA: Public data. Imagine the full platform.
Get a Demo →