Work & commute · Roanoke

Work & commute in Roanoke, VA

43% of Roanoke’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Salem (9%), Hollins (5%) and Cave Spring (5%). Half commute less than 4 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

43%

17,276 of 39,866 working residents

Typical commute

4 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

12%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 22,590 Roanoke residents head out of town to work, 17,276 work right here, and 47,823 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Roanoke.

22,590live here, work elsewhere

17,276live and work here

47,823work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Roanoke goes to work

Roanoke (in town)right here

43%17,276

Salem5.4 mi away

9%3,748

Hollins4.5 mi away

5%2,151

Cave Spring4.5 mi away

5%1,982

Blacksburg26 mi away

1%544

Daleville9.7 mi away

1%469

Glenvar9.2 mi away

1%455

Vinton3.9 mi away

1%422

Lynchburg42.7 mi away

1%417

Richmond137.3 mi away

1%377

Everywhere elseother towns and states

30%12,025

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

How far

How far Roanoke commutes

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

72%

17%

72%Under 10 mi

6%10–24 mi

6%25–50 mi

17%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Roanoke is a job hub

1.63jobs per working resident

A job hub

1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Roanoke are

65,099 jobs are based in Roanoke. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Roanoke’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Roanoke

65,099 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)13%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)66%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month57%

Jobs Roanoke residents hold

39,866 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)15%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)65%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month36%

Over $3,333 a month49%

−2%

Jobs based in Roanoke, 2013 → 2023: 66,460 → 65,099. 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.