Salem, VA vs Radford, VA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricSalem, VARadford, VA
Population25,61816,726
Median Household Income$66,725$57,348
Median Rent$1,133/mo$1,033/mo
Median Home Value$258,600$220,700
Cost of Living (US = 100)9493
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income48%51.6%
Poverty Rate10.2%28.7%
Unemployment Rate3.3%4.5%
Violent Crime Rate /100k153250
Property Crime Rate /100k1,187812
Median AQI31—
Good AQI Days /yr——
Summer Highs86°F82°F
Winter Lows30°F25°F
Snowfall15 in/yr22 in/yr
Avg Commute19 min18.3 min
Hospitals2—
Avg Hospital Rating3.0 / 5—
Students per Teacher12.419.1
College Degree Rate33%37.9%
Foreign-Born %4.5%2.1%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+1.9%+7.3%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.