Official Federal Data
Roanoke County, Virginia
FIPS 51161 · Roanoke, VA · Population 97,023
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$83,709 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.1% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
48,781
Labor Force
37.1% ▲
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
$83,709 ▲
Per Capita
$45,801 ▲
Mean Household
$108,750 ▲
Poverty Rate
7.3% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Roanoke County$83,709
Virginia$93,170
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 19.6%
18-34 · 19.1%
35-54 · 25.5%
55-64 · 13.7%
65+ · 22.1%
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+
94.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.9 pts
37.1%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +1.4 pts
13%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 1.1 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
97,023
Population
48,781
Labor Force
Employed
47,103
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.1% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
15.4%
Key Takeaways
- Aging population: Median age of 44 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 5,308 workers (19.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $61,113.
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $104,760 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $24,722, a 4.2x 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
Health Care & Social Assistance Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,981
Cluster Employment
2.41x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
4.12x 410
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
2.99x 716
Paper Manufacturing
2.41x 203
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
2.41x 1,981
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
1.86x 637
Truck Transportation
1.58x 560
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.51x 538
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1.51x 123
Support Activities for Transportation
1.50x 294
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.16x
Food Manufacturing
67 employed
0.28x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
61 employed
0.49x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
129 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing concentrates at 4.12x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 9 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 6 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
$286,000 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,224 ▲
Rent/Mo
75.7% ▲
Owner-Occ
6.2% ▼
Vacancy
3.4x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,004/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,053/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,254/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,743/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,104/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,093/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.4x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 75.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,093/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
56,527 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
15.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.1%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
37.1% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.5% ▲
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
23.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
46.3%
Service
15.5%
Sales & Office
20.3%
Construction / Maint.
5.1%
Production / Transport
12.7%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 47,103 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 23.4% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Short commutes: 21.8-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
Roanoke County shows meaningful potential for nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing attraction, with a 4.12x concentration and 410 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 23.4% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing, computer and electronic product manufacturing, and paper 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
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 Roanoke County, Virginia, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Roanoke County, Virginia?
97,023 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Roanoke County, Virginia?
$83,709 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Roanoke County, Virginia?
3.1% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
Roanoke County, VA: Public data. Imagine the full platform.
Get a Demo →