Population

Blacksburg

45,288

Plainfield

45,705

Median Income

Blacksburg

$48,070

Plainfield

$142,265

Home Value

Blacksburg

$417,200

Plainfield

$398,000

Rent

Blacksburg

$1,290

Plainfield

$1,889

Crime Rate

Blacksburg

0.77

Plainfield

0.58

Cost of Living

Blacksburg

111.9

Plainfield

202.0

Avg Temp

Blacksburg

N/A

Plainfield

N/A

Unemployment

Blacksburg

4.2%

Plainfield

3.7%

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How Similar Are Blacksburg & Plainfield?

Plainfield is Blacksburg's #11 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Blacksburg

45,288

vs

Plainfield

45,705

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Blacksburg at 45,288 and Plainfield at 45,705.

Violent Crime

Blacksburg

0.77

vs

Plainfield

0.58

Different · 19% difference
🚨

Blacksburg has a 19% higher violent crime than Plainfield.

Property Crime

🔒

Blacksburg

7.15

vs

Plainfield

6.83

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.

Political Leaning

Blacksburg

47.4%

vs

Plainfield

48.5%

Match · 2% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 2% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Blacksburg

4.2%

vs

Plainfield

3.7%

Different · 12% difference

Blacksburg has a 12% higher unemployment than Plainfield.

Median Income

Blacksburg

$48,070

vs

Plainfield

$142,265

Different · 66% difference
💰

Plainfield's median income is significantly higher than Blacksburg's — 66% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Blacksburg

$417,200

vs

Plainfield

$398,000

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.

Education

Blacksburg

25.6%

vs

Plainfield

34.3%

Different · 25% difference
🎓

Plainfield has a 25% higher education than Blacksburg.

Demographics

🌍

Blacksburg

77.7%

vs

Plainfield

72.3%

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.

Cost of Living

Blacksburg

111.9

vs

Plainfield

202.0

Different · 45% difference
💵

Plainfield has a 45% higher cost of living than Blacksburg.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Blacksburg and Plainfield share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Blacksburg

vsof 8

0

Plainfield

Plainfield leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Blacksburg leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Blacksburg scores 63.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 217.5 in Plainfield. Blacksburg scores 86.7 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 158.7 in Plainfield. Blacksburg has a living wage (family of 4) of $116,342 vs $210,047 in Plainfield (45% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Blacksburg111.9
Plainfield202.0

Housing Index

Blacksburg167.9
Plainfield234.3

Food Index

Blacksburg86.7
Plainfield158.7

Transportation Index

Blacksburg63.7
Plainfield217.5

Healthcare Index

Blacksburg89.4
Plainfield147.0

Utilities Index

Blacksburg105.6
Plainfield162.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Blacksburg$49,222
Plainfield$88,866

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Blacksburg$116,342
Plainfield$210,047

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Blacksburg$993
Plainfield$1,581

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Blacksburg$1,271
Plainfield$1,781

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Plainfield has a vacancy rate of 2.0% compared to 18.1% in Blacksburg. Blacksburg has a median property tax of $3,341 vs $9,266 in Plainfield (64% lower). Plainfield has a owner-occupied of 88.7% compared to 34.2% in Blacksburg.

Median Home Value

Blacksburg$417,200
Plainfield$398,000

Median Rent

Blacksburg$1,290
Plainfield$1,889

Median Property Tax

Blacksburg$3,341
Plainfield$9,266

Owner-Occupied

Blacksburg34.2%
Plainfield88.7%

Vacancy Rate

Blacksburg18.1%
Plainfield2.0%

Single-Family Homes

Blacksburg43.5%
Plainfield91.7%

Jobs & Economy — Plainfield leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Plainfield has a poverty rate of 4.1% compared to 42.8% in Blacksburg. Plainfield has a median household income of $142,265 vs $48,070 in Blacksburg (66% higher). Plainfield has a per capita income of $53,675 vs $29,454 in Blacksburg (45% higher).

Median Household Income

Blacksburg$48,070
Plainfield$142,265

Per Capita Income

Blacksburg$29,454
Plainfield$53,675

Poverty Rate

Blacksburg42.8%
Plainfield4.1%

Unemployment Rate

Blacksburg4.2%
Plainfield3.7%

Labor Force

Blacksburg20,907
Plainfield24,566

Mean Commute

Blacksburg13 min
PlainfieldN/A

Work from Home

Blacksburg17.2%
Plainfield21.3%

Private Sector

Blacksburg94.4%
Plainfield99.7%

Government Sector

Blacksburg41.5%
Plainfield48.3%

Crime & Safety — Plainfield leads

Source: FBI UCR

Blacksburg has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.06 in Plainfield. Blacksburg has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.68 compared to 1.24 in Plainfield. Plainfield has a violent crime clearance of 57.1% compared to 37.1% in Blacksburg.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Blacksburg0.77
Plainfield0.58

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Blacksburg7.15
Plainfield6.83

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Blacksburg0.00
Plainfield0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Blacksburg0.02
Plainfield0.06

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Blacksburg0.33
Plainfield0.37

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Blacksburg0.68
Plainfield1.24

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Blacksburg6.23
Plainfield5.22

Violent Crime Clearance

Blacksburg37.1%
Plainfield57.1%

Property Crime Clearance

Blacksburg20.2%
Plainfield23.9%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

BlacksburgN/A
PlainfieldN/A

Avg Annual High

BlacksburgN/A
PlainfieldN/A

Avg Annual Low

BlacksburgN/A
PlainfieldN/A

Sunny Days per Year

BlacksburgN/A
PlainfieldN/A

Annual Rainfall

BlacksburgN/A
PlainfieldN/A

Annual Snowfall

BlacksburgN/A
PlainfieldN/A

Avg Humidity

BlacksburgN/A
PlainfieldN/A

Schools & Education — Plainfield leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Plainfield has a high school diploma or higher of 43.9% compared to 30.0% in Blacksburg. Plainfield has a bachelor's degree or higher of 34.3% compared to 25.6% in Blacksburg.

Public Schools

Blacksburg0
Plainfield0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

BlacksburgN/A
PlainfieldN/A

Colleges & Universities

Blacksburg0
Plainfield0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Blacksburg25.6%
Plainfield34.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Blacksburg30.0%
Plainfield43.9%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Plainfield has a population of 45,705, about 1x the size of Blacksburg (45,288). Blacksburg skews younger with a median age of 21.9 vs 37.3.

Population

Blacksburg45,288
Plainfield45,705

Median Age

Blacksburg22
Plainfield37

Avg Household Size

Blacksburg2.6
Plainfield3.2

Married Population

Blacksburg21.5%
Plainfield46.3%

Foreign Born

Blacksburg13.7%
Plainfield13.4%

White

Blacksburg77.7%
Plainfield72.3%

Black

Blacksburg4.4%
Plainfield9.0%

Hispanic

Blacksburg4.5%
Plainfield9.9%

Asian

Blacksburg11.0%
Plainfield9.3%

Blacksburg

Plainfield

Healthcare — Blacksburg leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Blacksburg: 5 vs Plainfield: 4 for with emergency services. Blacksburg: 3.6 vs Plainfield: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Blacksburg5
Plainfield5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Blacksburg3.6
Plainfield3.0

With Emergency Services

Blacksburg5
Plainfield4

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Blacksburg has a bicycle of 2.9% compared to 0.1% in Plainfield. Blacksburg has a public transit of 6.6% compared to 1.6% in Plainfield. Plainfield has a drive alone of 70.6% compared to 53.9% in Blacksburg.

Mean Commute Time

Blacksburg13 min
PlainfieldN/A

Drive Alone

Blacksburg53.9%
Plainfield70.6%

Public Transit

Blacksburg6.6%
Plainfield1.6%

Bicycle

Blacksburg2.9%
Plainfield0.1%

Work from Home

Blacksburg17.2%
Plainfield21.3%

Airports

Blacksburg0
Plainfield0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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