Photo: Smash the Iron Cage · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Blacksburg run?
Blacksburg’s town government spent $43.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $951 per resident. Water and other utilities ($19.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Blacksburg is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $951 per resident a year, or $2.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$882 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Blacksburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($882 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 114 Virginia cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,096, and the middle half spent $438–$1,622. Blacksburg spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Virginia cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Blacksburg itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Blacksburg reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $882 · 2023: $898 · 2024: $951.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,460 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.78% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Blacksburg’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Blacksburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Blacksburg →
Who’s in charge in Blacksburg
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Blacksburg’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on blacksburg.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 167 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (45,610).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Montgomery County Public Schools
Blacksburg’s K–12 school district, shared with Christiansburg. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,175 per pupil, $9,077 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Virginia districts overall: 49% local, 41% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Blacksburg’s votes are counted by county
Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Blacksburg alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Montgomery County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.6%23,811 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican47.1%22,179 votesOthers: 2.3% (1,063 votes).
Most votes in Montgomery County: Kamala D Harris
Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
100% of Blacksburg lies in Montgomery County. Every 2024 race in Montgomery County is on the county’s page.
Montgomery County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Blacksburg.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: blacksburg.gov ↗
- 2Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Blacksburg compares with the towns next door
Blacksburg spent $882 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Blacksburg | $882 | $3,460 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Blacksburg’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Blacksburg’s government
How much does Blacksburg spend per resident?
About $951 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $882 was less than 58% of 114 Virginia cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Blacksburg?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,460 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.78% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see blacksburg.gov.
Who runs Blacksburg’s government?
See blacksburg.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Blacksburg yet.
How did Blacksburg vote in 2024?
Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Blacksburg alone. Montgomery County, where 100% of Blacksburg lies, voted Harris 50.6%, Trump 47.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Blacksburg?
273 full-time and 193 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.5M (about $18.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Blacksburg in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Travis Hackworth) and House of Delegates District 41 (Lily Franklin). The House of Delegates district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Blacksburg’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →