county

Emporia city, VA

Demographic and economic profile of Emporia city, VA, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Emporia is a small independent city of 5,633 residents that grew 4.7% over five years, with a median household income of $51,899 and a median home value of $131,100 pointing to a low-cost operating environment. The labor force participation rate is 52.2%, with 75.7% holding a high school diploma or higher and 15.2% holding a bachelor's degree, and unemployment sits at 3.4%. Median worker earnings of $37,127 and a mean commute of 23.8 minutes reflect a modest-wage, locally anchored workforce with a poverty rate of 13.5%.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

5,633

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$51,899

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

36.6 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+4.7% since 2018

Emporia city added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • Black or African American Alone3,569 (64.3%)
  • White Alone1,087 (19.6%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races554 (10.0%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race305 (5.5%)
  • Asian Alone32 (0.6%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish436
  2. 2.Other Asian and Pacific Island33
  3. 3.Other Indo-European10
  4. 4.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)7
  5. 5.German or other West Germanic7

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

27.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

54.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

18.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

2.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

321

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

—

Not yet cached

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$25,570

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

13.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Manufacturing (Group)400
  2. 2.Public Administration (Group)314
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)313
  4. 4.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities272
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services256

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations766
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations446
  3. 3.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations424
  4. 4.Service Occupations421
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations215

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Public Administration (LQ 2.22×)229
  2. 2.Manufacturing (LQ 2.02×)439
  3. 3.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.68×)215
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.33×)316
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.20×)230

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$131,100

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,060/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

38.1%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $125,000 to $149,999188 (22.9%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999169 (20.6%)
  • $150,000 to $174,99969 (8.4%)
  • $250,000 to $299,99961 (7.4%)
  • $300,000 to $399,99953 (6.4%)
  • $70,000 to $79,99948 (5.8%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

15.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

75.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

52.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$37,127

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

23.2 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

13.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,607 (71.0%)
  • Carpooled298 (13.2%)
  • Worked At Home225 (9.9%)
  • Walked100 (4.4%)
  • Taxi30 (1.3%)
  • Public Transit4 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.