Demographics of Roanoke city, Virginia

Roanoke city, Virginia had 99,111 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −792 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Roanoke city, in four figures

99,111
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −0.8%
Change since July 2020: −792 people.; 38.3 ±0.5
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $55,378 ±$2,433
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Roanoke city, Virginia's population shrank 0.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Roanoke city, Virginia's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Roanoke city, Virginia's population shrank 0.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Roanoke city, Virginia's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	99,903	100.0	100.0
2021	98,767	98.9	100.2
2022	97,922	98.0	100.7
2023	97,741	97.8	101.6
2024	98,690	98.8	102.5
2025	99,111	99.2	103.1

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Population of Roanoke city, Virginia on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	99,903	−114	−18	+5	−132
2021	98,767	−1,136	−197	+133	−1,097
2022	97,922	−845	−232	+497	−1,083
2023	97,741	−181	−169	+587	−566
2024	98,690	+949	−104	+1,065	−2
2025	99,111	+421	−103	+419	+102

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 38.3 ±0.5: for men 37.1 ±0.4 and for women 40.2 ±0.5. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Roanoke city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Virginia	United States
Under 5	6,357 ±233	6.5% ±0.2	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	15,897 ±797	16.2% ±0.8	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	7,314 ±519	7.4% ±0.5	9.3% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	27,538 ±838	28.0% ±0.9	27.1% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	23,783 ±833	24.2% ±0.8	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	17,466 ±804	17.8% ±0.8	16.7% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $55,378 ±$2,433, and income per person $36,576 ±$1,910, in 2024 dollars. The median is $93,170 ±$458 in Virginia and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Roanoke city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Virginia	United States
Under $25,000	10,090 ±964	23.2% ±2.2	12.2% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	9,771 ±885	22.4% ±2.0	14.5% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	8,015 ±727	18.4% ±1.6	14.3% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	5,313 ±573	12.2% ±1.3	12.1% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	5,736 ±629	13.2% ±1.4	18.1% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,319 ±381	5.3% ±0.9	11.1% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	2,331 ±376	5.3% ±0.9	17.7% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Roanoke city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Virginia	United States
All ages	17,729 ±1,653	18.3% ±1.7	9.9% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	5,413 ±763	24.6% ±3.2	12.3% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	8,900 ±926	16.8% ±1.7	9.4% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	3,416 ±563	15.6% ±2.5	8.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Roanoke city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Roanoke city	Virginia	United States
Housing units	49,106 ±50	3,684,756 ±486	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	88.7% ±1.3	91.3% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	11.3% ±1.3	8.7% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	52.4% ±1.9	67.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	47.6% ±1.9	32.7% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$190,500 ±$6,503	$383,700 ±$1,024	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$996 ±$30	$1,579 ±$8	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1958 ±1	1984 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Roanoke city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Virginia	United States
Hispanic or Latino	8,823 ±0	9.0% ±<0.1	11.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	54,346 ±338	55.3% ±0.3	58.4% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	27,236 ±653	27.7% ±0.7	18.3% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	3,082 ±196	3.1% ±0.2	6.9% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	90 ±39	0.1% ±<0.1	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 196	0% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	266 to 998	0.3% to 1.0%	0.6% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4,051 ±704	4.1% ±0.7	4.7% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Roanoke city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Virginia	United States
Born in the state	62,840 ±1,520	63.9% ±1.5	48.8% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	26,447 ±1,567	26.9% ±1.6	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	1,182 ±371	1.2% ±0.4	2.1% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	7,886 ±817	8.0% ±0.8	13.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	2,712 ±531	2.8% ±0.5	7.4% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	5,174 ±826	5.3% ±0.8	5.7% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Roanoke city among the counties of Virginia

20th of 133 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Virginia page.

Counties of Virginia near Roanoke city in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Hampton city	137,315	< +0.1%
Albemarle County	118,356	+5.1%
Hanover County	116,423	+5.6%
Suffolk city	104,699	+10.4%
Frederick County	99,955	+8.8%
Roanoke city	99,111	−0.8%
Montgomery County	98,434	−1.2%
Roanoke County	97,150	+0.2%
Portsmouth city	96,777	−1.2%
Rockingham County	89,316	+6.6%
James City County	83,326	+6.2%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

No. 20 Counties by population in Virginia
No. 98 Counties by population growth in Virginia

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026