Population
Blacksburg
45,288
Somerville
12,958
Median Income
Blacksburg
$48,070
Somerville
$103,869
Home Value
Blacksburg
$417,200
Somerville
$403,600
Rent
Blacksburg
$1,290
Somerville
$1,748
Crime Rate
Blacksburg
0.77
Somerville
0.73
Cost of Living
Blacksburg
111.9
Somerville
168.8
Avg Temp
Blacksburg
N/A
Somerville
N/A
Unemployment
Blacksburg
4.2%
Somerville
4.0%
How Similar Are Blacksburg & Somerville?
Somerville is Blacksburg's #19 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Blacksburg
45,288
Somerville
12,958
Blacksburg (45,288) is about 3.5x larger than Somerville (12,958).
Violent Crime
Blacksburg
0.77
Somerville
0.73
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Blacksburg
7.15
Somerville
7.47
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.
Political Leaning
Blacksburg
47.4%
Somerville
41.8%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Blacksburg has a stronger Democratic lean (12% difference).
Unemployment
Blacksburg
4.2%
Somerville
4.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
Blacksburg
$48,070
Somerville
$103,869
Somerville's median income is significantly higher than Blacksburg's — 54% difference.
Home Values
Blacksburg
$417,200
Somerville
$403,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 3% difference.
Education
Blacksburg
25.6%
Somerville
39.8%
Somerville has a 36% higher education than Blacksburg.
Demographics
Blacksburg
77.7%
Somerville
60.5%
Blacksburg has a 22% higher demographics than Somerville.
Cost of Living
Blacksburg
111.9
Somerville
168.8
Somerville has a 34% higher cost of living than Blacksburg.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Blacksburg and Somerville share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Blacksburg
0
Somerville
Blacksburg leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Blacksburg leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBlacksburg has a fair market rent (1br) of $993 vs $1,978 in Somerville (50% lower). Blacksburg has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,271 vs $2,486 in Somerville (49% lower). Blacksburg scores 63.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 121.9 in Somerville.
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 ACSSomerville has a vacancy rate of 2.1% compared to 18.1% in Blacksburg. Blacksburg has a median property tax of $3,341 vs $10,001 in Somerville (67% lower). Blacksburg has a median rent of $1,290 vs $1,748 in Somerville (26% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Somerville leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSomerville has a poverty rate of 6.2% compared to 42.8% in Blacksburg. Blacksburg: 20,907 vs Somerville: 8,112 for labor force. Somerville has a median household income of $103,869 vs $48,070 in Blacksburg (54% 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 0.07 in Somerville. Blacksburg has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.13 in Somerville. Blacksburg has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.68 compared to 1.92 in Somerville.
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 — Somerville leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSomerville has a high school diploma or higher of 55.7% compared to 30.0% in Blacksburg. Somerville has a bachelor's degree or higher of 39.8% 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 ACSBlacksburg has a population of 45,288, about 3.5x the size of Somerville (12,958). Blacksburg skews younger with a median age of 21.9 vs 35.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Blacksburg
Somerville
Healthcare — Blacksburg leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBlacksburg: 5 vs Somerville: 3 for with emergency services. Blacksburg: 3.6 vs Somerville: 3.0 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 0.6% in Somerville. Blacksburg has a public transit of 6.6% compared to 2.9% in Somerville. Blacksburg: 13 min vs Somerville: 22 min for mean commute time.
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.