Emporia is a somewhat small city located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 5,481 people and three associated neighborhoods, Emporia is the 113th largest community in Virginia.

The citizens of Emporia are slightly less educated than the national average of 21.84% for the average city or town: 16.47% of adults in Emporia have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree

The per capita income in Emporia in 2022 was $24,915, which is low income relative to Virginia, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $99,660 for a family of four. However, Emporia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Emporia is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Emporia home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Emporia residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Emporia include African, English, German, French, and Irish.

The most common language spoken in Emporia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and African languages.