Work & commute · Radford

Work & commute in Radford, VA

About one in 5 of Radford’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Blacksburg (15%), Christiansburg (10%) and Roanoke (6%). Half commute less than 10 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

21%

1,212 of 5,654 working residents

Typical commute

10 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

18 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 4,442 Radford residents head out of town to work, 1,212 work right here, and 4,700 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Radford.

4,442live here, work elsewhere

1,212live and work here

4,700work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Radford goes to work

Radford (in town)right here

21%1,212

Blacksburg10.6 mi away

15%854

Christiansburg8.6 mi away

10%575

Roanoke34.8 mi away

6%332

Pulaski12.1 mi away

3%155

Salem30 mi away

2%110

Fairlawn2.1 mi away

2%103

Cave Spring31.2 mi away

1%78

Wytheville31.4 mi away

1%57

Hollins36.8 mi away

1%41

Everywhere elseother towns and states

38%2,137

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Radford commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

52%

17%

15%

52%Under 10 mi

17%10–24 mi

17%25–50 mi

15%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Radford is balanced between jobs and homes

1.05jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.05 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Radford are

5,912 jobs are based in Radford. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Radford’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Radford

5,912 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities8%

Services (health, schools, offices…)70%

$1,250 a month or less20%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month51%

Jobs Radford residents hold

5,654 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)18%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)64%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month34%

Over $3,333 a month48%

−18%

Jobs based in Radford, 2013 → 2023: 7,219 → 5,912. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.