Ferrum is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Franklin County, Virginia Franklin County is a county located in the Blue Ridge foothills of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,477. Its county seat is Rocky Mount. Franklin County is part of the Roanoke metro ...

, United States. The population was 2,043 at the 2010 census, an increase of over fifty percent from the 1,313 reported in 2000. Ferrum is home to

Ferrum College Ferrum College is a private college in Ferrum, Virginia. The college was established in 1913 as the "Ferrum Training School" (also referred to as the "Ferrum Institute" by its board of trustees) for primary and secondary education to serve the ...

and its Blue Ridge Folklife Festival. It is part of the

Roanoke metropolitan area The Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Virginia as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Roanoke MSA is sometimes referred to as the Roanoke Valley, even though the ...

Geography

Ferrum is located at (36.926381, −80.011181). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of 9.2 square miles (24.0 km²), all land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 1,313 people, 285 households, and 169 families in the CDP. The population density was 141.9 people per square mile (54.8/km²). There were 307 housing units at an average density of 33.2/sq mi (12.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 80.81% White, 16.22% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.91% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.68%. Of the 285 households 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 33.0% of households were one person and 7.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.07. The age distribution was 13.6% under the age of 18, 53.4% from 18 to 24, 17.2% from 25 to 44, 11.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% 65 or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 122.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.0 males. The median household income was $35,208 and the median family income was $46,818. Males had a median income of $27,938 versus $22,917 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $12,276. About 4.0% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including none of those under the age of eighteen or sixty-five or over.

Point of interest

Ferrum is home to

, a small college of approximately 1,500 students.

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Franklin County, Virginia