Roanoke vs Winston-Salem
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $190,500 in Roanoke and $233,800 in Winston-Salem.
- Households earn more in Winston-Salem ($59,268 vs $55,378 median).
- Roanoke gets far more snow: 15 inches a year vs 3.
- Winston-Salem is growing faster: +3.1% since 2020 vs -0.9%.
Side by side
| Roanoke, VA | Winston-Salem, NC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 99,111 | 257,271 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.9% | +3.1% |
| People per square mile | 2,331 | 1,924 |
| Median age | 38.3 | 35.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30% | 40% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $55,378 | $59,268 |
| Median home value | $190,500 | $233,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.4× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $996 | $1,087 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.6 | 92.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 78.5 | 71.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $70,200 | $69,000 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 3.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 7.1% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.0 | 21.5 |
| Work from home | 12% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 5.7% |
| Poverty rate | 18.3% | 17.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 47° / 29° | 49° / 31° |
| July high / low | 88° / 67° | 88° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 43 in | 43 in |
| Snowfall per year | 15 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 30 | 33 |
| Nights below freezing | 77 | 64 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 72.9 | 91.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 83% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.2% | +54.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Roanoke: April to May and September to October. Winston-Salem: April to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Roanoke weather by month and Winston-Salem weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $70,200 in Roanoke and $69,000 in Winston-Salem. Moving from Roanoke to Winston-Salem, you would need about $73,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Roanoke and Winston-Salem
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Roanoke and Winston-Salem.
Which would you pick?
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