Radford city, VA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.12, -80.56.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 59th pct · 1,228th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 34th pct · 87th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median $263,403
- 50th pct · 1,518th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 51st pct · 65th of 133 Virginia counties · median +2.9%
- 25th pct · 4th of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median +5.1%
- 38th pct · 859th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 16th pct · 66th of 79 Virginia counties · median $1,757
- counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro: only 3 of counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 44th pct · 1,783rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 42nd pct · 77th of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median 6,604
- 40th pct · 1,909th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 40th pct · 79th of 133 Virginia counties · median $1,048
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median $998
- 65th pct · 1,057th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 46th pct · 72nd of 133 Virginia counties · median 5.4
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median 5.1
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $263,403 (Aug 2026), +3.0% over one year, +22.5% over five
- 59th pct · 1,228th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 34th pct · 87th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median $263,403
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Radford city, VA | $263,403 · +3.0% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $1,373/mo (Aug 2026), +7.6% over one year; price-to-rent 16.0
- 38th pct · 859th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 16th pct · 66th of 79 Virginia counties · median $1,757
- counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro: only 3 of counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Radford city, VA | $1,373/mo · +7.6% 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $1,442 a month on $263,403 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,325 a month: 33.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $263,403 × 80% = $210,722, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,442/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $998 × 52 / 12 = $4,325) = 33% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $263,403 / ($998 × 52) = 5.1
- price-to-rent = $263,403 / ($1,373 × 12) = 16.0
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
6,604 jobs at 386 employers (2026 Q1); +1.3% jobs and -1.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 44th pct · 1,783rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 42nd pct · 77th of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median 6,604
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Radford city, VA | 6,604 jobs · $998/wk · +1.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 785 | $1,347 | 1.48 | +0.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 583 | $459 | 0.98 | -3.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 441 | $1,746 | 1.17 | -6.6% |
| Retail trade | 283 | $620 | 0.44 | -17.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 101 | $1,067 | 1.00 | +6.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 69 | $669 | 0.25 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 69 | $885 | 0.35 | +40.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 65 | $2,443 | 0.24 | +3.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 13 | $195 | 0.12 | +8.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
D0 abnormally dry
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 2, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| LITTLE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR RADFORD, VA | 231.0 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 5 km |
| W. KERR SCOTT RESERVOIR AT DAM NR WILKESBORO, NC | 30.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 125 km |
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
73 gauges · 0 flooding · 27 with quality panels averaging 99 % · 25 stale
Sites found: 73, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| ROANOKE RIVER AT THIRTEENTH ST BR AT ROANOKE, VA | stage 3.12 ft · quality 80 % (5) · STALE | 59 km |
| NEW RIVER AT RADFORD, VA | flow 2,310 ft³/s | 3 km |
| LITTLE RIVER AT GRAYSONTOWN, VA | flow 177.0 ft³/s | 9 km |
| VA087-03169771 | stage 1.36 ft | 15 km |
| VA087-03169378 | stage 1.98 ft | 18 km |
| WALKER CREEK AT BANE, VA | flow 77.4 ft³/s | 21 km |
| SINKING CREEK AT COVERED BRIDGE LN NR NEWPORT, VA | turb. 5.10 FNU · quality 100 % (5) · STALE | 22 km |
| PEAK CREEK AT PULASKI, VA | stage 2.63 ft · STALE | 22 km |
| SINKING CREEK ALONG ROUTE 604 NEAR NEWPORT, VA | stage 3.07 ft · quality 100 % (5) · STALE | 22 km |
| LITTLE STONY CREEK BL ARCHER TRAIL NR PEMBROKE, VA | stage 2.94 ft · quality 100 % (5) · STALE | 25 km |
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
7 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 7, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-370812080261901 | depth 5.59 ft · 2026-10-05 | 11 km |
| USGS-371719080372901 | depth 102.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 20 km |
| USGS-372223080234801 | depth 44.4 ft · 2026-10-05 | 32 km |
| USGS-373234080320101 | depth 88.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 47 km |
| USGS-364732080070301 | depth 24.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 54 km |
| USGS-371653079552101 | depth 18.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 59 km |
| USGS-372603079553301 | depth 31.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 66 km |
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.01 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$376.9 m in deposits at 6 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,483, highly concentrated. $209.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (contracts $125.5 m, direct payments $83.4 m), $31,641 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Truist Bank | $140.4 m · 37.2% share · 1 office | |
| Atlantic Union Bank | $90.4 m · 24.0% share · 1 office | |
| Carter Bank & Trust | $57.0 m · 15.1% share · 1 office | |
| Radford (City), VA | $209.0 m FY2026 · $31,641/job | |
| BAE SYSTEMS ORDNANCE SYSTEMS INC | $99.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truist Bank | $140,362,000 | 37.2% | 1 |
| Atlantic Union Bank | $90,396,000 | 24.0% | 1 |
| Carter Bank & Trust | $56,965,000 | 15.1% | 1 |
| The National Bank of Blacksburg | $54,262,000 | 14.4% | 1 |
| First Community Bank | $34,950,000 | 9.3% | 1 |
| The Bank of Marion | $0 | 0.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,483 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 37.2² + 24.0² + 15.1² + … (2 more) = 2,483
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
USAspending place-of-performance obligations for FY2026, by awarding agency.
| Awarding agency | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Department of Defense | $125,481,819 |
| Social Security Administration | $53,246,199 |
| Department of Education | $17,336,309 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $11,055,087 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $900,530 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $838,484 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $196,112 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $13,081 |
| Department of Transportation | $167 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $0 |
| Department of Agriculture | -$112,664 |
That is $31,641 per covered job, against 6,604 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $209.0 m / 6,604 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $31,641
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 6.00 | 2026-09-22 | -14.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 6,830.00 | 2026-08-01 | +7.4% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -88,576.00 | 2026-07-01 | -24.4% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Radford city, VA: 6 findings, 2 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchRadford city, VA's average weekly wage is -1.2% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.avgWeeklyWage = -1.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchRadford city, VA's typical asking rent rose 6.3% from $1,292 in July 2026 to $1,373 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +6.3% = (1373.4509803921567 - 1291.566007080808) / 1291.566007080808 × 100
- 1373.4509803921567 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1291.566007080808 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteRadford city, VA's covered employment was 1.3% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +1.3 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteRadford city, VA's average weekly wage was 1.2% lower than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- -1.2 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Radford city, VA is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Read all 6 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.