Postal Codes

24521 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 24521 covers Amherst, Virginia, with a population of about 10,101 and a median household income of $69,077.

Population
10,10147 per square mile
Median age
44.76 points above the US average
Median household income
$69,07724% below the Virginia median
Poverty rate
10.4%2 points below the US average
Typical home value
$301,808up 27% in five years
Median rent
$83045% below the Virginia median
Degree or higher
26.9%8.1 points below the US average
Homeownership
78%13 points above the US average
Time zone
Eastern UTC-05:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
210

Where 24521 is

Amherst, Virginia — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population10,101
Median age44.7
Family households63.1%
Born outside the US1.9%
Speaks a language other than English at home1.1%
White (non-Hispanic)77.8%
Black (non-Hispanic)13.3%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0%
Hispanic or Latino2.6%
Veterans7%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$69,077
Income per person$41,325
Poverty rate10.4%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance11.3%

Household income distribution

Under $10k3.4%
$10–15k6.2%
$15–20k5.0%
$20–25k5.6%
$25–30k6.1%
$30–35k2.6%
$35–40k1.0%
$40–45k3.3%
$45–50k2.6%
$50–60k6.2%
$60–75k12.3%
$75–100k8.7%
$100–125k9.4%
$125–150k8.8%
$150–200k8.9%
$200k or more9.9%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed4,500
Mean adjusted gross income$64,269
Returns declaring $200,000 or more3.3%
Returns, under $25k28.0%
Returns, $25k–$50k23.6%
Returns, $50k–$75k17.6%
Returns, $75k–$100k10.9%
Returns, $100k–$200k16.7%
Returns, $200k or more3.3%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$233,600
Median gross rent$830
Rent as a share of household income28.6%
Owner-occupied78%
Vacant homes11.2%
Median year built1979

What the homes are

Detached house76.8%
Attached house3.4%
2 to 4 units4.4%
20 or more units0.1%
Mobile home15.2%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$301,808as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 3.8%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 27%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 75.4%
Typical home value since 2000
200920172026$301,808$160,478

$170,103 in 2009 to $301,808 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate4%
Bachelor's degree or higher26.9%
High school diploma or higher84.5%
Works from home11.9%
Drives to work alone78.6%
Takes public transport0%
Commutes 45 minutes or more13.7%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity39.6% 6.2 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes16% 4 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes15.9% 2.7 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure43% 8.9 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health22.7% 2.4 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)9.1% 2.2 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression23% 1.1 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity29.7% 4.3 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis33.9% 8.8 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking13.1% 2.9 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication81.1% 6.4 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)9.9% 2.2 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma11.3% 0.9 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease8.7% 2.5 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year80.7% 4 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening87.9% 2 pts above the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability15.9% 1.1 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening67.6% 3.3 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD9.4% 2.8 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist62.5% 1.2 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability36.6% 5.9 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support21.4% 3.4 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity14.8% 2.3 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps13.4% 0.9 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability8.8% 2.1 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol41.3% 5.1 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity11.3% 2.5 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability9.9% 1.5 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport8.2% 1 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness31.4% 3 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use77% 1.1 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)17% same as the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability18.8% 4.8 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)16.1% 2.6 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4.8% 0.8 pts above the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat7.7% 1.1 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours36.3% same as the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.7% 1.3 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost15.7% 2.7 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability6.1% 0.5 pts above the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments210
People employed1,995
Annual payroll$89,745,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 56.7% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery Low to Relatively Moderate across the 7 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss47.5 out of 100
Community resilience31.5 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Landslide90.6Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind89.7Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought87.4Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning83.2Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire82.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding76.4Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane72.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather65.9Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake55Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail52.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm49.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Avalanche49Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado42.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave37.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave15.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Virginia and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPVirginiaUnited States
Median household income$69,077$90,974$78,538
Income per person$41,325$49,217$43,289
Poverty rate10.4%9.9%12.4%
Median home value$233,600$360,700$303,400
Median gross rent$830$1,514$1,348
Homeownership78%67.2%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher26.9%41.5%35%
Unemployment rate4%4.3%5.2%
Works from home11.9%16.2%13.5%
Born outside the US1.9%12.9%13.9%
Median age44.738.838.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationTYE RVR 1 SE, VA US11 km away
Rain in a year46 in

Average high and low by month

January48°F / 25.5°F3.45 in rain
February52°F / 27.6°F2.68 in rain
March59.8°F / 33.6°F3.69 in rain
April70.2°F / 42.8°F3.59 in rain
May76.5°F / 52.3°F4.6 in rain
June83.6°F / 60.9°F4.52 in rain
July87.3°F / 65.6°F3.68 in rain
August85.7°F / 64.1°F4.42 in rain
September79.9°F / 57°F4.39 in rain
October71.1°F / 44.6°F3.75 in rain
November61°F / 34.6°F3.56 in rain
December51°F / 28.7°F4.01 in rain
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket65% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarket4% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 2 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Amherst County Public Schools95.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Nelson County Public Schools4.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability50more vulnerable than 50% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status66more vulnerable than 66% of US census tracts
Household characteristics25more vulnerable than 25% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status35more vulnerable than 35% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport49more vulnerable than 49% of US census tracts
Walkability4.4 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

24595 Sweet Briar, VA5.7 km away
22964 Piney River, VA11.6 km away
24533 Clifford, VA11.7 km away
24574 Monroe, VA12.6 km away
22922 Arrington, VA13.3 km away
24572 Madison Heights, VA17.6 km away
24553 Gladstone, VA18.7 km away
24581 Norwood, VA21.8 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Amherst County95.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Nelson County4.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneEastern (UTC-05:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area217.14 sq mi
Water area1.08 sq mi
Population density47 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude37.6027, -79.0506

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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