Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA Metro Area Immigration

Population

The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) population 1/ increased from 114,833 in 1970 to 178,127 in 2010. That was an increase of 55.1 percent.

The foreign-born (FB) population increased from 691 in 1970 to 11,437 in 2010. That was an increase of 1555.1 percent. The foreign-born share changed from 0.6 percent to 6.4 percent.

The share of the overall population that was native-born (NB) increased by 46.0 percent.

	Blacksburg MSA: Population  1970-2010

Sources of Population Change

The primary sources of population change are:

Natural Change [Births minus Deaths or B-D];
Net Domestic Migration [NDM - movement between states]; and
Net International Migration [NIM - movement into and out of the country].
There is also a residual "other" amount that isn't placed in one of those three categories.

The first chart below shows the three population change factors for three periods adjusted for annual average amounts. Natural change (B-D) was the primary source of population increase in the first period, replaced by NIM in the two most recent periods.

The second chart shows the same data but with an adjustment to reflect births to immigrants shifted to NIM. In it, the relative contributions to population increase of the three factors remained the same.

	Blacksburg MSA: Sources of Population Change 1990-2014 		Blacksburg MSA: Sources of Population Change (Adjusted) 1990-2014

		B-D	  NDM	 NIM						B-D	  NDM	  NIM	
	90-'99	80.6%	 neg.	19.4%					90-'99	61.1%	 neg.	38.9%
	00-'09	27.7%	27.7%	44.7%					00-'09	15.2%	27.7%	57.2%
	10-'14	25.8%	 neg.	74.2%					10-'14	10.4%	 neg.	89.6%

1/ Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski counties plus Radford city.

Links:

MSA Factsheets by state, and alphabetically.

Home Page