Census-designated place · Botetourt County, Virginia

Blue Ridge, Virginia

Blue Ridge is a census-designated place in Botetourt County, Virginia, part of the Roanoke, VA metro area. It has 2,800 residents. Blue Ridge, Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 71 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,611 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Virginia it ranks #184 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on social associations (high), reading scores (high) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on job growth (low), rent as share of income (high) and drought exposure (high).

71High

Quality-of-life score: #4,611 of 15,651 cities and towns
Virginia: #184 of 375 in VA
Population: 2,800 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 460.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 5108200

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety59#6,409/15,637
Economy78#3,491/15,631
Housing32#10,232/14,977
Health58#6,539/15,609
Healthcare41#9,166/15,650
Environment94#959/15,453
Education88#1,952/15,649
Infrastructure52#7,498/15,650
Community88#1,910/15,651
Leisure & amenities18#12,893/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Blue Ridge, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Botetourt County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Social associations · high18.2 /10k
97/100Virginia 11.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBotetourt County value
Reading scores · high3.42
96/100Virginia 3.16United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBotetourt County value
Voter turnout · high80.2%
96/100Virginia 70.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionBotetourt County value
Child care cost burden · low19.9%
95/100Virginia 24.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBotetourt County value
Poverty rate · low2.5%
95/100Virginia 9.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Math scores · high3.45
94/100Virginia 3.27United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBotetourt County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-4.9%
2/100Virginia -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataBotetourt County value
Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Virginia 29.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Drought exposure · high95%
4/100Virginia 70%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAABotetourt County value
Mental health providers · low62 /100k
8/100Virginia 284 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBotetourt County value
Dentists · low26 /100k
8/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBotetourt County value
Distance to an emergency room · high13.0 mi
10/100Virginia 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBotetourt County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
3,288 (2015-2019) → 2,800 (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
34.1% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
84.4% (2015-2019) → 69.8% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.5× (2015-2019) → 3.6× (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.3% (2015-2019) → 90.7% (2020-2024)
+6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
4.3% (2015-2019) → 1.0% (2020-2024)
−3.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Blue Ridge, Virginia improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined2

Rent / income+17 points34.1% → 51.0%
Price / income+1.1×2.5× → 3.6×

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Blue Ridge, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.2 min2015-2019	23.2 min2020-2024	−2.0 min	Within the margin of error	71%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.6%2015-2019	22.7%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Broadband subscriptions	84.3%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	+6.4 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Effective property tax rate	0.78%2015-2019	0.65%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	42%
High school diploma or higher	93.6%2015-2019	95.3%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	18%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3872015-2019	0.3442020-2024	−0.043	Within the margin of error	81%
Median household income	$76,2922015-2019	$75,8712020-2024	−0.6%	Within the margin of error	7%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	34.1%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+17 points	Declined	3%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Blue Ridge, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Blue Ridge, Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Blue Ridge, Virginia itself moved −5.5 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,800 residents (±531)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (−4.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,800 residents (±531)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

White83%2,328
Black3.3%†93
Hispanic or Latino4.1%†116

Education

1,979 residents (±355)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

No high school diploma4.8%†94
High school or GED37%727
Some college21%†422

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,091 households (±191)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k6.6%†72
$25k–50k19%†206
$50k–75k23%†248
$75k–100k11%†119
$100k–150k28%†304
$150k–200k10%†114
$200k or more2.6%†28

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−8.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,091 households (±191)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

Own94%1,023
Rent6.2%†68

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

63 households (±63)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00030%†19
$1,000–1,50070%†44

Home values

1,023 homes (±177)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $150k14%†139
$150k–250k26%†268
$250k–400k45%459

Age of homes

1,266 homes (±188)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

2010 or later2.8%†35
2000–200911%†145
1980–199920%†256

Size of homes

1,266 homes (±188)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms21%†261

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,376 workers (±323)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone80%1,106
Carpool2.1%†29
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home16%†221
Other1.5%†20

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+11.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,155 workers (±286)

Blue Ridge, Virginia
Virginia share

Under 15 min14%†160
15–29 min67%†779
30–44 min13%†151

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Roanoke, VA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Botetourt County, the county holding most of Blue Ridge's residents.

Botetourt County has 776 employer establishments, 227 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248; 0.94× Virginia's), with 12,180 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,003. The Census Bureau also counts 2,649 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 776; 2,649 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 227; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 12,180
Average annual pay: $54,003; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Botetourt County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	65	19	1.23×About typical	441	$65,465	175
Ambulatory health care services	51	14.9	0.72×Fewer than typical	412	$56,342	92
Religious organizations	50	14.6	2.64×More than typical	274	$23,354	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	43	12.6	1.87×More than typical	214	$29,729	188
Restaurants and other eating places	41	12	0.65×Fewer than typical	639	$23,815	17
Construction of buildings	33	9.7	1.28×More than typical	144	$54,056	85
Lessors of real estate	33	9.7	0.78×Fewer than typical	95	$38,726	323
Landscaping services	26	7.6	2.17×More than typical	105	$35,210	91
Building equipment contractors	24	7	1.17×About typical	238	$70,206	24
Offices of other health practitioners	23	6.7	1.11×About typical	103	$59,903	42
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	6.2	1.22×About typical	63	$45,190	36
Full-service restaurants	21	6.2	0.80×About typical	350	$27,151	7

Rank places for an industry Open Botetourt County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 34,138 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Blue Ridge, Virginia: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

KING GENERAL CONTRACTORS, INC.$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

124.5KFY2023
60.4KFY2024
-1.1KFY2025
0FY2026

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Blue Ridge, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Blue Ridge, Virginia's figures are part of those of Botetourt County, VA ($797.7K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Blue Ridge is mostly in Botetourt County.

See federal money in Botetourt County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Blue Ridge, Virginia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ben ClineR-VA-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.0%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Botetourt County92100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Roanoke, VA73

Other cities and towns in Botetourt County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5108200