ZIP Code 24521 — Amherst town, VA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 24521 covers Amherst, VA in Amherst County with a population of about 10,101.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 44.7 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 434; U.S. House district VA-5; the ROANOKE - LYNCHBURG media market.

Median household income in ZIP 24521 is about $69,077 — about 8% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 10.4%; unemployment rate near 4.0%; 26.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 6.8 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Manufacturing; about 11.9% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 3.3 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $233,600 — about 33% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $705 (about 39% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 78.0% (about 12.5 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 24521 in Amherst, VA, a household would need roughly $64,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,501. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($69,077). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Amherst town, VA as Very Low (composite score 21.0), which is relatively lower than many U.S. communities. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (66.2) and wildfire (45.1). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Amherst town, VA show little to no average snow and around 46.3 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 570 for ZIP 24521 (Amherst town, VA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.