Starkey School · National Register of Historic Places
Cave Spring’s story
179 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 maps from 1963 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1847Cave Spring is settled
Cave SpringVA
A town of 25,742, settled in 1847. Public schools that outperform most of Virginia.
2 bordering townsMap →
Starkey School · Photo: Molly Cardenas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
25,742
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$326K
Census ACS
Household income
$88K
median
Median age
42.4
years
Jobs based here
10,486
Balanced
TownGrade
A
#70 of 249 in VA
Is Cave Spring a good place to live?
Cave Spring grades A overall, 70th among Virginia's 249 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 92% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation and it is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $88K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $326K, 4.7 years of the Roanoke metro’s $69K median household income. Cave Spring’s average commute is 20 minutes, where Virginia’s towns sit at 27 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Starkey School is on the National Register of Historic Places.
What makes Cave Spring stand out
Where Cave Spring beats most towns.
How Cave Spring grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Cave Spring is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 13% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →HealthLewisgale Medical Center 2.9 miles awayA−Open →Jobs & incomeA−Open →Cost of livingCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.2 of 20; 4.2% of households have no car; 1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 22 attractions →Appalachian Trail and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cave Spring. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
2 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
23 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
30 mi LakeMountain Lake
29 mi LakeSmith Mountain Lake
5 mi MuseumVirginia Museum of TransportationSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Appalachian Trail: Paulba. Original uploader was Paulbalegend at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Lane Stadium: User:B, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mountain Lake: Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smith Mountain Lake: Jay White, Public domain · Virginia Museum of Transportation: Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Cave Spring: who provides what
Cave Spring is unincorporated, so Roanoke County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAppalachian Power17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWestern Virginia Water AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesRoanoke CountyRoanoke County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereRoanoke General RegistrarRoanoke County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes24018, 2401524018 98% · 24015 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Cave Spring.
Cave Spring has schools in the top 5% of Virginia and trades workers with Roanoke and other neighbors.
SchoolsA
Cave Spring’s grade for schools is an A
That grade ranks #13 of the 250 Virginia towns we grade for schools.
Three of its 8 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cave Spring High, with 1,046 students. Public schools: the Roanoke County Public Schools.
92%of VA districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Spring MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 746 | A |
| Cave Spring HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,046 | A+ |
| Hidden Valley HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 832 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
The biggest natural risk in Cave Spring is inland flooding, at a very low overall level
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. 64 flood insurance claims have been paid in Cave Spring since 1978. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 69% come from inland flooding and 10% from strong winds.
13risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong windCold waves
64
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthA−
Cave Spring’s grade for health is an A−
24% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Cave Spring. This Virginia town does better than the Virginia average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 1. In Cave Spring, 31% of adults feel lonely, and 8.6% worry about having enough food.
81%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Cave Spring | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Virginia
10 better21 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Cave Spring | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 13.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 10.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 7.7% |
Lewisgale Medical Center
2.9 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
59th
percentile among VA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Cave Spring
A winter brings about 18 inches of snow, with January nights at 27° and July afternoons at 87°.
18″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–49°
Spring44–68°
Summer63–85°
Fall46–69°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 3
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
About one in three of Cave Spring’s working residents commute to Roanoke
Cave Spring has about as many jobs (10,486) as working residents, but only 1,275 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 6 miles. Since 2013, Cave Spring has lost 1,227 jobs, to 10,486 in 2023. Also worth knowing: most working residents leave Cave Spring for work: only 10% work in town. The share of residents in Cave Spring who live below the poverty line: 5.9%.
10%work in town
| Cave Spring | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Cave Spring10%
Roanoke36%
Salem11%
Hollins4%
Blacksburg2%
6 mi
median commute distance
10,486
jobs based in Cave Spring
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
No age group stands out in Cave Spring against Virginia
Cave Spring: 20% of residents are under 18. Age groups here sit within 4 points of the Virginia average. Nearly half of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 42% across Virginia.
42.4median age · VA 39
| Cave Spring | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 49% | 44% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.4 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
Cave SpringVirginiaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
14%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school21%
Some college16%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s30%
Graduate18%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 44.7, men 39.8.
| Cave Spring | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.1% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.6% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.4% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.4% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.4% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
OutdoorsC−
Cave Spring keeps 1.4% of its land conserved
The biggest park or preserve is Garst Mill Park, at 34 acres. Across 1 park or preserve: 3.1 miles of trail. Cave Spring’s density of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.
#198for trails in VA
| Cave Spring | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
1.4%
conserved · 104 of 7,611 acres
3.1 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Garst Mill Park | 0.4 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C
Homes in Cave Spring sell for about $382K
A home in Cave Spring typically sold within 10 days of listing. The town’s median rent stands at $1,285 a month. Just over two fifths of the homes sold in Cave Spring went for more than their asking price.
$382Kmedian sale price
| Cave Spring | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,285 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 68% | 73% |
Market temperature
10
days on market
99.9%
sale-to-list price
32
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cave Spring
17pages on Cave Spring
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Cave Spring
Virginia Western Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Roanoke2.3 mi$5,400 in-state tuitionAmerican National UniversityUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Salem5.1 mi$10,961 tuitionRoanoke CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Salem5.4 mi$38,068 tuition
About 6 of every 100 Cave Spring residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
About Cave Spring
CDP in Virginia, United States
Cave Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in Roanoke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 26,755 at the 2020 census. Cave Spring covers much of the area known locally as "Southwest County" which has the most affluent suburbs of Roanoke. It is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area. Roanoke County's administrative offices are in Cave Spring, though the independent city of Salem is officially the county seat. The United States Postal Service considers most of the Cave Spring area to be unincorporated Roanoke City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,099 ft
Cave Spring’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Cave Spring.
RoanokeSalemCave Spring
How the neighbors grade
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Spring | #70 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Roanoke | #237 | D | B− | D | C− | C− |
| Salem | #138 | B+ | C | — | A− | B |
Cave Spring and Salem report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cave Spring with a neighbor →
Questions about Cave Spring
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cave Spring, VA a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Cave Spring grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #70 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A− for health and A for schools.
Is Cave Spring, VA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $326,000, 21% below the Virginia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.