Scores by category

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

Safety53#7,309/15,637
Economy14#13,492/15,631
Housing36#9,547/14,977
Health15#13,282/15,609
Healthcare44#8,791/15,650
Environment99#107/15,453
Education89#1,705/15,649
Infrastructure30#10,890/15,650
Community24#11,966/15,651
Leisure & amenities12#13,835/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Radford, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Radford city 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

Traffic deaths · low0.0 /100k
100/100Virginia 10.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataRadford city value
Natural hazard risk · low2.3
97/100Virginia 17.92025Federal Emergency Management AgencyRadford city value
Math scores · high3.43
92/100Virginia 3.27United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRadford city value
Average commute time · low18.3 min
90/100Virginia 27.3 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Flu vaccinations · high53.0%
87/100Virginia 47.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRadford city value
Injury deaths · low62 /100k
86/100Virginia 78 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRadford city value

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low45.6%
1/100Virginia 70.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionRadford city value
Poverty rate · high28.7%
3/100Virginia 9.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Virginia 6.1United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationRadford city value
Food environment index · low6.1
4/100Virginia 8.9United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRadford city value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.505
8/100Virginia 0.472United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
New business applications · low8.5 /1k
10/100Virginia 15.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauRadford city value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
17,691 (2015-2019) → 16,726 (2020-2024)
−5.5%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Median household incomeImproving
$36,297 (2015-2019) → $57,348 (2020-2024)
+58%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
36.3% (2015-2019) → 28.7% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.8% (2015-2019) → 87.4% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
58.3% (2015-2019) → 54.6% (2020-2024)
−3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedImproving
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+18%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, Radford, Virginia improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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.

Improved5

Price / income−0.9×4.7× → 3.8×
Household income+58%$36,297 → $57,348
Poverty−7.6 points36.3% → 28.7%
Uninsured−3.5 points8.9% → 5.4%
Broadband+7.6 points79.8% → 87.4%

Declined1

Unemployment+3.6 points4.5% → 8.1%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Radford, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.5 min2015-2019	18.3 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	39%
Bachelor's degree or higher	38.0%2015-2019	37.9%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Broadband subscriptions	79.8%2015-2019	87.4%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Improved	47%
Child poverty rate	15.5%2015-2019	17.6%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Effective property tax rate	0.64%2015-2019	0.70%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	9%
High school diploma or higher	91.2%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Home price to income ratio	4.7×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	−0.9×	Improved	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5442015-2019	0.5052020-2024	−0.038	Within the margin of error	79%
Median household income	$36,2972015-2019	$57,3482020-2024	+58%	Improved	90%
Poverty rate	36.3%2015-2019	28.7%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Improved	88%
Rent as share of income	35.5%2015-2019	32.9%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	58.3%2015-2019	54.6%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Unemployment rate	4.5%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Declined	7%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.9%2015-2019	5.4%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Improved	79%

“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 Radford, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Radford, 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, Radford, Virginia itself moved +4.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

16,726 residents

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: 10–19 women (+3.2 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

16,726 residents

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

White81%13,535
Black9.2%1,544
Hispanic or Latino4.4%731
Asian2.4%406
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%†8
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.0%502

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−2.4 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

7,492 residents (±135)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

No high school diploma6.2%†465
High school or GED22%1,630
Some college24%1,803
Associate degree10%752
Bachelor's degree19%1,444
Graduate degree19%1,398

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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

5,540 households (±249)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k28%1,573
$25k–50k18%987
$50k–75k19%1,074
$75k–100k10%572
$100k–150k12%680
$150k–200k5.7%†315
$200k or more6.1%†339

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−12.0 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

5,540 households (±249)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

Own42%2,343
Rent58%3,197

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

3,154 households (±286)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $75029%918
$750–1,00019%584
$1,000–1,50035%1,093

Home values

2,343 homes (±202)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $150k26%603
$150k–250k34%788
$250k–400k31%737

Age of homes

6,459 homes (±35)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

2010 or later3.5%†229
2000–200913%823
1980–199929%1,876

Size of homes

6,459 homes (±35)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

Studio1.0%†66
1 bedroom14%935
2 bedrooms31%1,973

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

8,128 workers (±570)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone78%6,352
Carpool6.1%†498
Public transit0.2%†17
Walk9.9%†803
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.3%427
Other0.4%†31

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+3.2 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

7,701 workers (±580)

Radford, Virginia
Virginia share

Under 15 min42%3,272
15–29 min39%2,995
30–44 min12%941

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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, 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 Radford city, the county holding most of Radford's residents.

Radford city has 289 employer establishments, 170 for every 10,000 residents (0.69× the US rate of 248; 0.71× Virginia's), with 3,907 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,918. The Census Bureau also counts 798 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 289; 798 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 170; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 3,907
Average annual pay: $47,918; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	27	15.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	332	$59,596	40
Restaurants and other eating places	25	14.7	0.80×About typical	435	$20,069	9
Religious organizations	23	13.6	2.44×More than typical	102	$16,627	—
Lessors of real estate	22	13	1.05×About typical	91	$39,495	127
Limited-service restaurants	12	7.1	0.88×About typical	177	$18,463	6
Full-service restaurants	10	5.9	0.77×Fewer than typical	251	$21,382	3
Construction of buildings	9	5.3	0.70×Too few to compare	41	$54,854	15
Legal services	9	5.3	0.99×Too few to compare	36	$61,972	4
Offices of other health practitioners	9	5.3	0.87×Too few to compare	32	$45,813	24
Banks and credit unions	8	4.7	1.46×Too few to compare	48	$48,938	—
Grocery and convenience stores	8	4.7	1.59×Too few to compare	219	$21,621	—
Offices of physicians	8	4.7	0.73×Too few to compare	194	$66,866	3

Rank places for an industry Open Radford city

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,969 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 $98.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Radford, Virginia: $5,881 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $98.4M; −35% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,881; US $1,994
Sole-source: 1.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$95.4M97%
Defense Information Systems Agency$2.9M2.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs$43.3K0.0%

Top recipients

BAE SYSTEMS ORDNANCE SYSTEMS INC$98.8M100%
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION$19.8M20%
MICROSOFT CORPORATION$1.4M1.4%
GREENBRIER GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS INC$797.7K0.8%
DELL FEDERAL SYSTEMS L.P$429K0.4%

Spending by fiscal year

325.9MFY2017
218MFY2018
150.8MFY2019
294.4MFY2020
273.1MFY2021
483.8MFY2022
530.3MFY2023
1B

Top industries (NAICS)

Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$106.9M100%
Facilities support services · 5612$8.3M8.5%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$2.2M2.3%
Software publishers · 5112$701.4K0.7%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$239.7K0.2%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Radford, Virginia

SPECIAL AMMUNITION AND WEAPONS SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS$222.2M
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION· Radford city, VA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jan 3, 2024 – Feb 27, 2026· W519TC24F0004
PROCURE AMMUNITION TO SUPPORT SAWS$160.3M
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION· Radford city, VA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jul 12, 2024 – Mar 3, 2026· W519TC24F0296
W9123621C4000 - CONSTRUCTION OF ENERGETIC WASTE INCINERATOR AND CONTAMINATED WASTE PROCESSOR (EWI/CWP) AT RADFORD ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT (RFAAP), RADFORD, VA$145.2M
PARSONS GOVERNMENT SERVICES INC.· Radford city, VA· Construction & real property· Sep 28, 2021 – Jun 4, 2026· W9123621C4000

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Radford, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Radford, Virginia's figures are part of those of Radford city, VA ($98.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 99.8% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Radford is mostly in Radford city.

See federal money in Radford city

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.

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

House

H. Morgan GriffithR-VA-9 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.3%

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.

Radford city51100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA75

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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/5165392

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends