Should I Move To
Blacksburg, Virginia comes in at about 45,147 residents. Cost of living comes out affordable — 12% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,237/mo, and the median household income is about $42,012. Overall, 68/100 on our composite score, which works out to a B-, putting it at #32 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 88 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's affordable territory. With median rent at $1,237/mo and median household income at $42,012, housing takes about 35% of gross income — a bit above the 30% rule, meaning housing is on the tight side for the median household. Homes typically value around $387,700.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect four-season weather — summers near 87°F, winters around 32°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 44 inches annually. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere. Air quality reads good (AQI 38).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
If you're profiling for families, Blacksburg comes out well. It earns 84/100 (grade A-) on the families profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on job market (35/100).
If you're profiling for retirees, Blacksburg comes out well. It earns 80/100 (grade B+) on the retirees profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on job market (35/100).
If you're profiling for remote workers, Blacksburg comes out well. It earns 80/100 (grade B+) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on job market (35/100).
On the young professionals profile, Blacksburg sits squarely in the middle. It earns 63/100 (grade C+) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on job market (35/100).
Blacksburg, Virginia pulls a 68/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade B-), currently ranked #32 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Blacksburg's cost-of-living index is 88 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 12% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,237/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 87°F, winter averages around 32°F, with about 44 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 66/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
Blacksburg has about 45,147 residents, 67% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 22.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Blacksburg head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Blacksburg stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Blacksburg with other Virginia cities scored on UrbRank.
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