county

Roanoke city, VA

Demographic and economic profile of Roanoke city, VA, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Roanoke city anchors a regional economy with a GDP per capita of $79,149—well above its median household income of $55,378—suggesting output concentrated in higher-productivity sectors relative to resident earnings. The labor force of roughly 62,700 participants carries a 5.5% unemployment rate and a 28.9% bachelor's degree attainment rate, with median worker earnings of $37,740 and housing costs that remain accessible at a $180,500 median home value and $964 median monthly rent. Population has edged down 0.9% over five years, and a 19.7% poverty rate alongside a 52.4% homeownership rate point to a split between cost-accessible conditions and persistent economic pressure for a share of residents.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

97,912

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Household Income

$55,378

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

38.3 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-0.9% since 2018

Roanoke city lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone55,840 (56.8%)
  • Black or African American Alone27,466 (27.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race5,066 (5.2%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races3,786 (3.8%)
  • Asian Alone3,082 (3.1%)
  • Some Other Race Alone2,884 (2.9%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish5,841
  2. 2.Other Indo-European1,315
  3. 3.Other Asian and Pacific Island581
  4. 4.Vietnamese441
  5. 5.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)388

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

22.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

59.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

17.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

8.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

5,557

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$79,149

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$34,792

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

5.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

19.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance12,827
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)5,808
  3. 3.Manufacturing (Group)4,769
  4. 4.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services4,712
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services3,627

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations17,197
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations9,732
  3. 3.Service Occupations8,205
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations7,278
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations3,287

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.18×)12,704
  2. 2.Retail Trade (LQ 1.11×)5,570
  3. 3.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.04×)2,819
  4. 4.Manufacturing (LQ 1.03×)4,732
  5. 5.Other Services (LQ 1.02×)2,210

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$180,500

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$964/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

52.4%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,9993,068 (13.4%)
  • $150,000 to $174,9992,875 (12.6%)
  • $300,000 to $399,9992,572 (11.3%)
  • $100,000 to $124,9992,289 (10.0%)
  • $175,000 to $199,9992,010 (8.8%)
  • $250,000 to $299,9992,009 (8.8%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

28.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

89.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

62.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$37,740

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

19.0 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

10.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone33,687 (74.9%)
  • Worked At Home5,308 (11.8%)
  • Carpooled3,152 (7.0%)
  • Public Transit1,076 (2.4%)
  • Walked726 (1.6%)
  • Other545 (1.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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More on FDI Connect

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.