Population
Blacksburg
45,288
Normal
52,908
Median Income
Blacksburg
$48,070
Normal
$66,350
Home Value
Blacksburg
$417,200
Normal
$199,900
Rent
Blacksburg
$1,290
Normal
$974
Crime Rate
Blacksburg
0.77
Normal
3.29
Cost of Living
Blacksburg
111.9
Normal
107.9
Avg Temp
Blacksburg
N/A
Normal
N/A
Unemployment
Blacksburg
4.2%
Normal
4.2%
How Similar Are Blacksburg & Normal?
Normal is Blacksburg's #17 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Blacksburg
45,288
Normal
52,908
Normal has a 14% larger population than Blacksburg.
Violent Crime
Blacksburg
0.77
Normal
3.29
Normal's violent crime is significantly higher than Blacksburg's — 77% difference.
Property Crime
Blacksburg
7.15
Normal
15.50
Normal's property crime is significantly higher than Blacksburg's — 54% difference.
Political Leaning
Blacksburg
47.4%
Normal
46.8%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Blacksburg
4.2%
Normal
4.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.
Median Income
Blacksburg
$48,070
Normal
$66,350
Normal has a 28% higher median income than Blacksburg.
Home Values
Blacksburg
$417,200
Normal
$199,900
Blacksburg's home values is significantly higher than Normal's — 52% difference.
Education
Blacksburg
25.6%
Normal
26.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
Blacksburg
77.7%
Normal
78.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
Blacksburg
111.9
Normal
107.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Blacksburg and Normal share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Blacksburg
0
Normal
Blacksburg leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDNormal scores 119.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 167.9 in Blacksburg. Blacksburg scores 63.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 101.4 in Normal. Blacksburg scores 86.7 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 100.7 in Normal.
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 — Normal leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBlacksburg has a median home value of $417,200 vs $199,900 in Normal (109% higher). Normal has a vacancy rate of 9.6% compared to 18.1% in Blacksburg. Normal has a owner-occupied of 55.2% compared to 34.2% in Blacksburg.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNormal has a poverty rate of 21.5% compared to 42.8% in Blacksburg. Blacksburg has a work from home of 17.2% compared to 12.4% in Normal. Normal has a median household income of $66,350 vs $48,070 in Blacksburg (28% 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 murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.04 in Normal. Blacksburg has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.15 in Normal. Blacksburg has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.33 compared to 2.15 in Normal.
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 — Normal leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauNormal has a high school diploma or higher of 36.3% compared to 30.0% in Blacksburg. Normal has a bachelor's degree or higher of 26.4% compared to 25.6% in Blacksburg.
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 ACSNormal has a population of 52,908, about 1.2x the size of Blacksburg (45,288). Blacksburg skews younger with a median age of 21.9 vs 25.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Blacksburg
Normal
Healthcare — Blacksburg leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBlacksburg: 3.6 vs Normal: 2.0 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 bicycle of 2.9% compared to 0.5% in Normal. Blacksburg has a public transit of 6.6% compared to 1.4% in Normal. Blacksburg has a work from home of 17.2% compared to 12.4% in Normal.
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.