ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Staunton city, Virginia

FIPS 51790 · Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA · Population 25,948
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$65,581
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.1%
Unemployment
4% national
12,810
Labor Force
37.7%
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
$65,581
Per Capita
$36,608
Mean Household
$82,942
Poverty Rate
12.4%
Median Income Comparison
Staunton city$65,581
Virginia$93,170
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 21.3% (5,524 residents) 55-64: 12.7% (3,293 residents) 35-54: 24.1% (6,255 residents) 18-34: 22.6% (5,859 residents) Under 18: 19.3% (5,017 residents) 40 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 19.3%
18-34 · 22.6%
35-54 · 24.1%
55-64 · 12.7%
65+ · 21.3%
Race & Ethnicity
White79.3%
Black or African American10.9%
Asian1.4%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)4.8%
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+
93.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.3 pts
37.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +2.0 pts
16.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +2.2 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
25,948
Population
12,810
Labor Force
Employed
12,059
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.1% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 6 min below national avg
20.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.8%
Key Takeaways
  • Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Staunton city, Virginia, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance
1,700 22.1%
$44,798
2Retail Trade
1,532 19.9%
$33,739
3Accommodation and Food Services
1,393 18.1%
$25,634
4Educational Services
564 7.3%
$45,129
5Transportation and Warehousing
547 7.1%
$43,170
6Other Services (except Public Administration)
540 7.0%
$36,653
7Management of Companies and Enterprises
402 5.2%
$78,172
8Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
378 4.9%
$77,899
9Manufacturing
326 4.2%
$56,794
10Finance and Insurance
314 4.1%
$85,019
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 1,700 workers (22.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $44,798.
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $85,019 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $25,634, a 3.3x 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.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Couriers and Messengers
2.51x
214
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
2.42x
262
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
2.40x
623
Educational Services
2.29x
564
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.04x
402
Food and Beverage Retailers
1.77x
436

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
623
Cluster Employment
2.40x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Couriers and Messengers
2.51x 214
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
2.42x 262
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
2.40x 623
Educational Services
2.29x 564
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.04x 402
Food and Beverage Retailers
1.77x 436

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.32x
Specialty Trade Contractors
125 employed
0.39x
Food Manufacturing
53 employed
0.46x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
378 employed
0.47x
Administrative and Support Services
300 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Couriers and Messengers concentrates at 2.51x the national norm.
  • Cluster depth: 6 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 7 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Staunton city's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$259,200
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,024
Rent/Mo
60.9%
Owner-Occ
8.8%
Vacancy
4.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,088/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,095/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,261/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,734/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,941/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,640/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.0x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,640/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
15,407
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 6 min below national avg
20.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
78.2%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 61.2% of working-age population (18-64) 61% Participation
▼ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
37.7%
HS Diploma+
93.9%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
72,277/yr
Liberty University 25,513/yr
George Mason University 10,335/yr
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 10,020/yr
University of Virginia-Main Campus 9,615/yr
Northern Virginia Community College 9,087/yr
Virginia Commonwealth University 7,707/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.4%
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
40.9%
Service
18.2%
Sales & Office
18.8%
Construction / Maint.
6.9%
Production / Transport
15.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 12,059 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Short commutes: 20.5-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

Staunton city shows emerging potential for couriers and messengers attraction, with a 2.51x concentration and 214 jobs in this sub-sector.

The interconnected base across couriers and messengers, religious, grantmaking, civic, professional orgs, and nursing and residential care facilities 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

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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 Staunton city, Virginia, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Staunton city, Virginia?

25,948 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Staunton city, Virginia?

$65,581 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Staunton city, Virginia?

3.1% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).