Population
Blacksburg
45,288
Forest Lake
20,678
Median Income
Blacksburg
$48,070
Forest Lake
$89,879
Home Value
Blacksburg
$417,200
Forest Lake
$375,900
Rent
Blacksburg
$1,290
Forest Lake
$1,379
Crime Rate
Blacksburg
0.77
Forest Lake
1.21
Cost of Living
Blacksburg
111.9
Forest Lake
141.9
Avg Temp
Blacksburg
N/A
Forest Lake
N/A
Unemployment
Blacksburg
4.2%
Forest Lake
4.6%
How Similar Are Blacksburg & Forest Lake?
Forest Lake is Blacksburg's #24 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Blacksburg
45,288
Forest Lake
20,678
Blacksburg (45,288) is about 2.2x larger than Forest Lake (20,678).
Violent Crime
Blacksburg
0.77
Forest Lake
1.21
Forest Lake has a 37% higher violent crime than Blacksburg.
Property Crime
Blacksburg
7.15
Forest Lake
14.75
Forest Lake's property crime is significantly higher than Blacksburg's — 52% difference.
Political Leaning
Blacksburg
47.4%
Forest Lake
44.6%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.
Unemployment
Blacksburg
4.2%
Forest Lake
4.6%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 10% difference.
Median Income
Blacksburg
$48,070
Forest Lake
$89,879
Forest Lake has a 47% higher median income than Blacksburg.
Home Values
Blacksburg
$417,200
Forest Lake
$375,900
Both cities have similar home values — just a 10% difference.
Education
Blacksburg
25.6%
Forest Lake
24.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Blacksburg
77.7%
Forest Lake
82.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Blacksburg
111.9
Forest Lake
141.9
Forest Lake has a 21% higher cost of living than Blacksburg.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Blacksburg and Forest Lake share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Blacksburg
0
Forest Lake
Blacksburg leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Blacksburg leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBlacksburg scores 63.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 137.4 in Forest Lake. Blacksburg has a fair market rent (1br) of $993 vs $1,405 in Forest Lake (29% lower). Blacksburg scores 86.7 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 118.7 in Forest Lake.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSForest Lake has a vacancy rate of 5.1% compared to 18.1% in Blacksburg. Forest Lake has a owner-occupied of 71.8% compared to 34.2% in Blacksburg. Forest Lake has a single-family homes of 73.5% compared to 43.5% in Blacksburg.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSForest Lake has a poverty rate of 6.7% compared to 42.8% in Blacksburg. Blacksburg: 20,907 vs Forest Lake: 11,763 for labor force. Forest Lake has a median household income of $89,879 vs $48,070 in Blacksburg (47% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Blacksburg leads
Source: FBI UCRBlacksburg has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.33 compared to 0.97 in Forest Lake. Blacksburg has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.68 compared to 1.55 in Forest Lake. Forest Lake has a violent crime clearance of 84.0% compared to 37.1% in Blacksburg.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauForest Lake has a high school diploma or higher of 41.4% compared to 30.0% in Blacksburg. Blacksburg has a bachelor's degree or higher of 25.6% compared to 24.5% in Forest Lake.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBlacksburg has a population of 45,288, about 2.2x the size of Forest Lake (20,678). Blacksburg skews younger with a median age of 21.9 vs 38.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Blacksburg
Forest Lake
Healthcare — Blacksburg leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBlacksburg: 3.6 vs Forest Lake: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Blacksburg leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBlacksburg has a public transit of 6.6% compared to 0.0% in Forest Lake. Blacksburg has a bicycle of 2.9% compared to 0.3% in Forest Lake. Forest Lake has a drive alone of 73.0% compared to 53.9% in Blacksburg.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Blacksburg, VA
Compare Blacksburg against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.