The city voted Democratic for the first time in a governor’s race in 40 years. That realignment is being driven by an influx of new residents, many of them working in or around Charlottesville.
Demographic trends
Analysis of Virginia’s demographic trends
Posted inOpinion
Virginia’s population center is moving closer to Fredericksburg each year
The state’s population center, once in Cumberland County, is now in Caroline County and moving north each year.
Posted inOpinion
Martinsville is growing younger faster than any other place in Virginia. Here’s why.
Martinsville is still an older city compared to others in Virginia, but its median age has fallen more than anywhere else.
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5 ways that Virginia’s changing demography is impacting the state
Rural areas losing population now see a housing crises. Northern Virginia might face a labor shortage, and the Lynchburg metro is outpacing the Roanoke metro in attracting young adults.
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Buchanan County is projected to lose nearly half its population in next 25 years. Can anything be done to change that?
As coal has declined, so has Buchanan County. Today its population is about half of what it was at its peak in 1980. No other county in Virginia has been losing population at a faster rate than Buchanan County.
Posted inOpinion
The political consequences of Virginia’s new population projections: Slower economic growth, more power for urban crescent
At least three things could change these projections: higher birth rates, more immigration and more remote work.
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10 things to know about Virginia’s latest population projections
Here are some of the highlights: The Lynchburg metro will add more people than the Roanoke and New River valleys combined. Loudoun will add more people in the next 25 than the past 25. But some localities will become shells of their former selves.
Posted inOpinion
Some localities in Southwest and Southside will lose more than 30% of their population over next 25 years
New population projections foresee almost every locality in Southwest and Southside Virginia losing population between now and 2050. Buchanan County is expected to lose almost half its population.
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Is Fairfax County gaining population or losing population? Here’s why two estimates differ.
The Census Bureau says Fairfax is gaining. The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia says it’s losing. This matters because Northern Virginia is the state’s economic engine that helps subsidize rural schools.
Posted inOpinion
Rural communities are keeping Virginia from becoming an exporter of people. That’s where the population growth is.
New census data confirms that Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are continuing to lose people, but the influx of new residents into rural Virginia is keeping the state on the plus side.