Virginia Population 2024

8,752,297

The current population is estimated at 8,626,210, an increase of over 380,000 since the official census in 2010. Virginia currently enjoys a growth rate of 1.15%, which ranks 13th in the country.

The most recent nationwide Census took place in the United States in 2010, and it revealed that the Virginia population had exceeded eight million for the first time in its history. The final figure was confirmed at 8,001,024. This was a rise of 13% on the numbers declared at the census of 2000.

Virginia Area and Population Density

The US state of Virginia is situated on the central eastern tip of the country and it is the 35th largest in the Union in terms of land mass. As with the majority of states on the US Eastern seaboard, however, Virginia is densely populated. Virginia now ranks 12th in terms of population in the country and 14th in terms of density. Virginia has a population density of 202.6 people per square mile over a total surface area of 42,775 square miles.

Virginia has 11 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), and Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia and Richmond-Petersburg are the most populous. The capital, Richmond, and its metropolitan area has a population of nearly 1.3 million, but Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the state. The most populated counties in Virginia are Fairfax and Prince William counties, with respective populations of 1,148,433 and 463,023.

Virginia Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age among the population of Virginia is approximately 37.8 years of age. In terms of the ratio of sexes in the state, 50.8% are females and 49.2% are males.

In terms of preferred religions across the population of the state, Christian based faiths lead at 73% of the population, with non-Christian faiths at 6%, and non-affiliated residents at 20% of the population.

Virginia Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Virginia was one of the 13 original States. Kentucky was part of Virginia until 1792, and a small part of Virginia was included in the District of Columbia from 1791 to 1846. West Virginia was separated from Virginia in 1862, becoming a State in 1863 and adding two more counties in 1866. Since then Virginia's boundaries have remained essentially unchanged, with slight modifications as early surveys were reviewed and corrected. Details of the Virginia-Tennessee boundary were not settled until 1901.

In 1790 census coverage included all of Virginia's present-day territory; Kentucky was reported separately. The populations for 1800-1840 include the area that was then part of the District of Columbia, and the populations for 1790-1860 exclude the counties entirely or primarily included in what is now West Virginia.

Virginia Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Virginia was:

  • White: 64.95%
  • Black or African American: 19.01%
  • Asian: 6.74%
  • Two or more races: 5.86%
  • Other race: 3.09%
  • Native American: 0.28%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.06%

Virginia Population History

The majority of states on the eastern edge of the USA displayed healthy population figures from the latter half of the 18th century onwards. Virginia is no exception to this generalization, and in 1790, numbers were recorded at an impressive 691,737.

Just ten years later, this had grown by over 16% to 807,557 but increases in population over the years have been a little sporadic, and there was even a fall in numbers recorded at the 1840 Census.

Virginia Population Growth

It wasn’t until the latter part of the 20th century that these increases began to settle down, and at every Census from 1960 onwards, the growth tends to average out at around 15% on a Census by Census basis, making Virginia one of the fastest growing states in the USA.

Therefore, as a result of this pattern of sustained and substantial growth, the population of Virginia in 2016 has comfortably exceeded 8.3 million.

Virginia Population Projections

The overall picture with regards to the population of Virginia in 2016 is one of sustained growth, and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. The milestone of eight million has now been reached, but if Virginia can achieve a population increase of 15% again, that number will go beyond nine million at the 2020 Census.

As far as current estimates go, Virginia is projected to add over 800,000 new residents every decade, finally reaching 10.5 million by 2040. It's also estimated the population will have a larger representation of racial and ethnic minorities. By 2030, nearly 20% of Virginia's population will be over 65, compared to just 12% in 2010. By 2040, the population under 50 is projected to be the majority minority.

The state of Virginia contains a diverse set of ethnic groups and one of the higher percentages of Asians and African Americans in the country, ranking 9th in terms of percentage when compared to the other 49 states. Its most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic whites, declined from 76% in 1990 to 64% in 2012.

Many people in the state are of English heritage and are the descendants of those who settled in the state during the colonial period, although British and Irish heritages are also very common. Most people who identify as "American" ethnicity are of English descent. Interestingly, 75% of the English immigrants to Virginia during the 17th century were indentured servants.

Virginia also has a very large population of African Americans, most of whom are descendants of enslaved people who worked the plantations in the state. While a large percentage of the black population left during the Great Migration north, reverse migration occurred in the 1960s.

Virginia Growth Rate

Virginia Population Rank

Virginia Population 2024

Virginia Facts

Population

100K

200K

300K

400K

500K

600K

700K

800K

900K

1M

1.1M

The state of Virginia's counties have seen both gains and losses in their populations, according to comparisons of data from the 2010 Census and estimates taken by the US Census Bureau in 2015. This comparison showed that Virginia had a pretty balanced mix when it came to which counties had a population jump and those that had a drop in population. The highest increase came in the northern county of Loudoun, which posted 19.02% growth. Its neighboring county of Prince William saw an increase of 11.16%, while other significant population increases were observed in New Kent, James City, King George, and Stafford.

There were also declining populations recorded across the state, with the highest loss happening in Buchana at 5.26%. This was followed by a 5.14% decrease in Bath County. Other smaller losses occurred in many of the southern counties, particularly those located in the southwestern corner of the state. These counties include Lee, Russell, Halifax, Wise, Giles, and Bland.

Virginia Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White5,574,30764.95%
Black or African American1,631,94119.01%
Asian578,2106.74%
Two or more races503,3405.86%
Other race265,3613.09%
Native American24,0070.28%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander5,3130.06%

White

Black or African American

Asian

Two or more races

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Virginia Population by Race

Virginia Population Pyramid 2024

Virginia Median Age

38.5

Total

37.4

Male

39.6

Female

Virginia Adults

There are 6,689,727 adults, (1,328,600 of whom are seniors) in Virginia.

Virginia Age Dependency

60.1

Age Dependency Ratio

24.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

35.3

Child Dependency Ratio

Virginia Sex Ratio

Female4,337,19850.54%
Male4,245,28149.46%

Virginia Population by Age

Virginia Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All3,248,5282.5766.633.4
Married1,617,3813.2181.618.4
Non Family1,113,8741.2852.147.9
Female373,2833.3448.451.6
Male143,9903.2858.841.2

3.15

Average Family Size

2.57

Average Household Size

66.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Virginia Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Virginia Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Virginia Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 93.61%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 62.33%.

Virginia Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$50,583

Average Earnings

$58,818

Average Male

$41,941

Average Female

Virginia Earnings by Educational Attainment

Virginia Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Virginia Language

83.54% of Virginia residents speak only English, while 16.46% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 7.37% of the population.

Virginia Language

Virginia Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White5,071,159388,0207.65%
Black1,559,301261,00916.74%
Hispanic815,809105,42412.92%
Multiple488,03950,35210.32%
Other259,94343,36416.68%
Asian569,24240,2247.07%
Native22,7712,43910.71%
Islander4,94151710.46%

9.94%

Overall Poverty Rate

8.87%

Male Poverty Rate

10.97%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Virginia

The race most likely to be in poverty in Virginia is Black, with 16.74% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Virginia is Asian, with 7.07% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.84%. Among those working part-time, it was 13.47%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 17.43%.

Virginia Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade21.46%
High School11.58%
Some College7.65%
Bachelors or Greater3.14%

Virginia Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed26.86%
Male Unemployed21.8%
Female Employed5.63%
Male Employed3.63%

Virginia Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Virginia Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Virginia Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

49.7%

Overall Marriage Rate

51.6%

Male Marriage Rate

47.9%

Female Marriage Rate

Virginia Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Virginia Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Virginia Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Virginia Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

671,519

Number of Veterans

576,412

Male Veterans

95,107

Female Veterans

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Virginia Veterans by War

count

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Virginia Veterans by Age

count

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Virginia Veterans by Race

Virginia Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

4.89%

Veteran Poverty Rate

21.87%

Veteran Disability Rate

Virginia Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

65.9%

Labor Force Participation

61.1%

Employment Rate

4.6%

Unemployment Rate

Virginia Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Virginia Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Virginia Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

49.21%

Born in Virginia

87.45%

Native Born

12.55%

Foreign Born

5.69%

Non Citizen

6.86%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

87.45% of Virginia residents were born in the United States, with 49.21% having been born in Virginia. 5.69% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Virginia Place of Birth

  1. Virginia State Data Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources