Emporia, Virginia

City in Emporia city · population 5,766 (2020 Census)

Median home: $148,500
Household income: $51,899
Jan low / Jul high: 29° / 90°
Snow a year: 1 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 12
Median age: 36.6

Emporia is a city of 5,766 people in Emporia city, Virginia. The median home is worth $148,500, below the typical Virginia town ($298,050). It ranks more walkable than 76% of Virginia towns, more vibrant than 71% of Virginia towns.

Emporia in our rankings:

How Emporia ranks

Percentile among Virginia towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Virginia towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Emporia is worth $148,500, below the typical Virginia town ($298,050). Homes cost about 2.9 times the median household income of $51,899, which is more affordable than 84% of Virginia towns. Median rent is $1,037 a month. 38.1% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Virginia towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Emporia	Typical Virginia town
Median home value	$148,500	$298,050
Median rent	$1,037	$1,254
Median household income	$51,899	$78,595
Home value ÷ income	2.9×	3.8×
Homeownership	38.1%	69.2%
Median year built	1959	1980
Seasonal / vacation homes	5.4%	—

Who lives in Emporia

People	Emporia	Typical Virginia town
Median age	36.6	39.8
Age 65 and over	18.2%	17.3%
Under 18	27.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.0%	31.2%
Below the poverty line	15.8%	8.8%
Veterans	8.0%	—
Born outside the U.S.	2.5%	—
Work from home	9.9%	12.8%
Average commute	23.2 min	26.3 min
Homes with broadband	88.4%	91.8%

Weather in Emporia

July highs average 89.8°F and January lows 28.7°F. About 46.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 1.4 inches of snow (typical Virginia town: 13.4 in). Expect about 42 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 83 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Emporia 1 Wnw station (1.3 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Emporia since 1950, compared with 11 for the typical Virginia town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on May 2, 1953 about 7.4 miles from the town center. The most recent was on April 19, 2019.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 18 times; the largest was 4.25 inches on May 9, 2003.

Severe weather in Emporia city since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Emporia city, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

Emporia city has been included in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for hurricane, snowstorm, biological.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 23, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3631: Severe Winter Storm
April 2, 2020	Biological	DR-4512: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3448: Covid-19
September 11, 2018	Hurricane	EM-3403: Hurricane Florence
October 29, 2012	Hurricane	EM-3359: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Emporia city

Emporia city had 3,366 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $41,303 a year. Unemployment was 4.6% in 2023; in Emporia itself the ACS puts it at 2.9%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Emporia

3 public schools with 2,027 students, about 12.4 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Greensville Elementary	PK-5	988	14.3
Greensville County High	9-12	602	12.8
Edward W. Wyatt Middle	6-8	437	9.1

Towns near Emporia

Roanoke Rapids, NC
18.4 mi · 15,229 people · home $142,700
South Rosemary, NC
19.5 mi · 2,753 people · home $86,800

Emporia questions

Is Emporia, Virginia a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Emporia scores better for retirees than 16% of Virginia towns and quieter than 36%. 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 36.6).

How much does a house cost in Emporia?

The median owner-occupied home in Emporia is valued at $148,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $51,899, so homes cost about 2.9 times income. Median rent is $1,037 a month.

What is the weather like in Emporia?

July highs average 89.8°F and January lows 28.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 46.2 inches of precipitation a year and 1.4 inches of snow.

Does Emporia get tornadoes?

12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Emporia since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on May 2, 1953. The typical Virginia town has had 11.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Emporia's Census boundary (GEOID 5125808). Comparisons use the median of Virginia towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.