Metro area · Virginia

Roanoke, VA metro area

Roanoke, VA is a metropolitan area of 6 counties in Virginia, home to 316,547 residents. Roanoke, VA metro area has a quality-of-life score of 73 out of 100 (high), ranking #246 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Virginia it ranks #4 of 12. It ranks best on gyms and fitness centers (high), primary care physicians (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (low). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), injury deaths (high) and drug overdose deaths (high).

73High
Quality-of-life score
#246 of 925 metro and micro areas
Virginia
#4 of 12 in VA
Population
316,547 (2025)
Land area
1,868 mi²
Density
169.5 /mi²
CBSA code
40220

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map
Location of Roanoke, VA metro area

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

  • Safety27#678/924
  • Economy70#280/925
  • Housing65#324/925
  • Health43#527/925
  • Healthcare85#136/923
  • Environment84#150/917
  • Education70#282/925
  • Infrastructure50#461/925
  • Community75#231/925
  • Leisure & amenities76#227/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Roanoke, VA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Weaknesses

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.

Metro and micro areas like Roanoke, VA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Roanoke, VA metro area 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.

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).

Income

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

Homes

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

Getting to work

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

Jobs and pay

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

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.

Federal contract spending

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Counties in Roanoke, VA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

  1. Roanoke cityCentral county6099,111
  2. Roanoke CountyCentral county9697,150
  3. Botetourt CountyCentral county9234,144
  4. Salem cityCentral county8725,816
  5. Franklin CountyOutlying county6055,526
  6. Craig CountyOutlying county604,800

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

  1. RoanokePrincipal city98,355

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

  1. Roanoke98,355
  2. Cave Spring25,742
  3. Salem25,618
  4. Hollins17,097
  5. Vinton8,056
  6. Rocky Mount4,950
  7. Daleville3,797
  8. North Shore3,638
  9. Cloverdale3,208
  10. Blue Ridge2,800
  11. Westlake Corner2,033
  12. Ferrum1,774
  13. Laymantown1,626
  14. Union Hall1,445
  15. Buchanan1,367
  16. Penhook1,250
  17. Fincastle858
  18. Glenvar829
  19. Henry Fork805
  20. Troutville475
  21. Boones Mill228
  22. New Castle138
  23. Eagle Rock67
  24. Glen Wilton66

Other metro and micro areas in Virginia

Areas based in Virginia, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

JSON · /api/v1/places/M40220