Ferrum College Historic District · National Register of Historic Places
Ferrum’s story
134 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 maps from 1957 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1892Ferrum is settled
FerrumVA
A town of 1,774, settled in 1892.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
1,774
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$259K
+5.3% in a year
Household income
$40K
median
Median age
21.8
years
Jobs based here
337
A commuter town
Is Ferrum a good place to live?
The best of Ferrum’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for schools; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 37% of residents live below the poverty line in Ferrum, above both the Virginia town median (7.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 4 of Virginia’s 370 towns score higher on cost of living. On the outdoors, just 17 of Virginia’s 372 towns do worse. Ferrum is home to Ferrum College. Ferrum has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ferrum stand out
Where Ferrum beats most towns.
Typical home value
Ferrum$259K
Virginia$412K
Cost of livingA+
3.8 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 97% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Franklin County Public Schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrum Elementary | PK–5 | 281 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
The college
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Ferrum College | 741 |
College town
741 college students
at Ferrum College
Students are part of everyday life here.
A shrinking town
Ferrum has shrunk 11% from 2010 to 2020
2,043 counted in 2010 and 1,827 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Ferrum grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Ferrum is from typical.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →Cost of livingA+Open →SchoolsA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 30% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →HealthCarilion Franklin Memorial Hospital 7 miles awayB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 2.5% of households have no car; 19.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
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.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 21.8; 29% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 27 attractions →Appalachian Trail and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ferrum. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
8 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
30 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
26 mi LakeSmith Mountain Lake
37 mi LandmarkNational D-Day Memorial
23 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 · Smith Mountain Lake: Jay White, Public domain · National D-Day Memorial: RebelAt at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Virginia Museum of Transportation: Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Ferrum: who provides what
Ferrum is unincorporated, so Franklin County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAppalachian Power17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Rocky Mount water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesFranklin CountyFranklin 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 hereFranklin General RegistrarFranklin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code2408824088 100%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 Ferrum.
SchoolsA−
Ferrum’s schools rank ahead of 80% of Virginia districts
Its public schools are run by the Franklin County Public Schools. Its one school is below.
80%of VA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrum ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 281 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A+
Compared with most of Virginia and the rest of the country, the median rent in Ferrum is lower
Ferrum’s median rent is $638 a month, against $1,762 a month in Virginia’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026.
$259KZillow home value
| Ferrum | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $638 a month | $1,762 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 68% | 73% |
Typical home value
Ferrum$259K
Virginia$412K
+5.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in March
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Ferrum stands out in Virginia and nationally, with the median household income lower than most
Ferrum’s median household income is $40,000. Since 2013, Ferrum has lost 113 jobs, to 337 in 2023. Most working residents leave Ferrum for work: only 7% work in town.
7%work in town
| Ferrum | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Ferrum7%
Rocky Mount26%
Roanoke9%
Martinsville2%
Greensboro2%
15 mi
median commute distance
337
jobs based in Ferrum
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Low risk in Ferrum, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong wind
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB+
Residents of Ferrum are healthier than 67% of U.S. towns
Ferrum beats the Virginia average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 22% of Ferrum adults report frequent mental distress. Among 254 Virginia towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Ferrum.
67%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Ferrum | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 79% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 33% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Virginia
7 better14 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Ferrum | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.8% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.4% | 12.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.3% | 11.1% |
Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital
7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Ferrum, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Ferrum has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 27° and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
13″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–49°
Spring43–68°
Summer63–85°
Fall45–69°
Oct 25
typical first frost
Apr 20
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsD
Ferrum has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
4.5 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 5,835 acres
4.5 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ferrum
17pages on Ferrum
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ferrum
College town 46 of every 100 Ferrum residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
College town
46% of Ferrum is in college
College Scorecard · IPEDS
About Ferrum
CDP in Virginia, United States
Ferrum is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ferrum had a population of 1,827. Ferrum is home to Ferrum College and its Blue Ridge Folklife Festival. It is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 9.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,296 ft
- ZIP code
- 24088
Questions about Ferrum
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ferrum, VA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.