ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Waynesboro city, Virginia

FIPS 51820 · Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA · Population 22,841
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$59,994
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.1%
Unemployment
4% national
11,697
Labor Force
25.7%
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
$59,994
Per Capita
$32,636
Mean Household
$77,683
Poverty Rate
11.2%
Median Income Comparison
Waynesboro city$59,994
Virginia$93,170
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 17.9% (4,081 residents) 55-64: 12.8% (2,913 residents) 35-54: 25.2% (5,750 residents) 18-34: 21.8% (4,990 residents) Under 18: 22.4% (5,107 residents) 38 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.4%
18-34 · 21.8%
35-54 · 25.2%
55-64 · 12.8%
65+ · 17.9%
Race & Ethnicity
White74%
Black or African American11.9%
Asian1.9%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)9.7%
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+
89.1%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 0.5 pts
25.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 10.0 pts
9.6%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 4.5 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
22,841
Population
11,697
Labor Force
Employed
11,046
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.1% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.3%
Key Takeaways
  • Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 10.0 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.

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 Waynesboro city, Virginia, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Retail Trade
2,064 25.5%
$31,512
2Accommodation and Food Services
1,473 18.2%
$24,392
3Manufacturing
1,124 13.9%
$69,974
4Transportation and Warehousing
980 12.1%
$33,372
5Health Care and Social Assistance
856 10.6%
$47,254
6Management of Companies and Enterprises
522 6.4%
$95,064
7Other Services (except Public Administration)
380 4.7%
$47,641
8Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
348 4.3%
$71,773
9Wholesale Trade
182 2.2%
$62,996
10Finance and Insurance
169 2.1%
$110,787
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 2,064 workers (25.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $31,512.
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $110,787 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $24,392, a 4.5x 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
7.41x
555
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
4.06x
371
General Merchandise Retailers
3.80x
819
Management of Companies and Enterprises
3.00x
522
Telecommunications
2.98x
118
Food and Beverage Retailers
1.69x
365
Food Services and Drinking Places
1.65x
1,343

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,555
Cluster Employment
4.06x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Couriers and Messengers
7.41x 555
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
4.06x 371
General Merchandise Retailers
3.80x 819
Management of Companies and Enterprises
3.00x 522
Telecommunications
2.98x 118
Food and Beverage Retailers
1.69x 365
Food Services and Drinking Places
1.65x 1,343

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.22x
Administrative and Support Services
125 employed
0.32x
Educational Services
69 employed
0.49x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
348 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Couriers and Messengers concentrates at 7.41x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
  • Cluster depth: 7 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 5 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Waynesboro 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
$245,500
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,020
Rent/Mo
59.9%
Owner-Occ
6.4%
Vacancy
4.1x
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 (~$1,500/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.1x 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 (~$1,500/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
13,653
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.3%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
81.4%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 66% of working-age population (18-64) 66% Participation
▲ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
25.7%
HS Diploma+
89.1%
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
21.3%
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
36.2%
Service
18.8%
Sales & Office
22.2%
Construction / Maint.
6.9%
Production / Transport
15.8%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 11,046 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Short commutes: 21.4-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

Waynesboro city shows strong potential for couriers and messengers attraction, with a 7.41x concentration and 555 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.

The interconnected base across couriers and messengers, building material and garden supply retailers, and general merchandise retailers 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 Waynesboro city, Virginia, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Waynesboro city, Virginia?

22,841 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

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

$59,994 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Waynesboro city, Virginia?

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