Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 population estimates and 2024 Gazetteer. Rankings among the 50 states.
Historical data
Pick an indicator to see its long-run evolution.
Population
1850–2024U.S. Census (decennial), 1850–2020 + estimates. Figures before 1870 include West Virginia.
Population pyramid
Virginia's civilian population by sex and five-year age group. Choose a year to see how the age structure has changed.
Tap an age group in the pyramid to see its detail.
Under 15
1,542,782 (17.7%)
15 to 64
5,620,883 (64.5%)
65 and older
1,547,113 (17.8%)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SC-EST2020 and SC-EST2024 age and sex estimates (civilian population, July 1).
Age, sex and longevity
The main indicators describing Virginia's age structure, sex distribution and life expectancy.
| Median age | 38.8 years | |
| Female | 50.6% | |
| Male | 49.4% | |
| Under 18 | 21.4% | |
| 65 and older | 17.2% | |
| Life expectancy | 77.8 years |
Population, households and density
How many people and households live in Virginia, how concentrated they are and how the population is changing.
| Total population | 8.72 M | 12th in the U.S. |
| Density | 82 /km² | 14th in the U.S. |
| Households | 3.4 M | |
| Urban population | 75.5% | |
| Largest metro | Washington–Arlington (VA share ≈ 3.2 M) | |
| Growth | +0.5%/yr | 2020–2024 |
Race, ethnicity and origin
Virginia has one of the largest Black populations on the East Coast, rooted in its colonial and antebellum history, alongside a fast-growing Asian and Hispanic population in Northern Virginia — home to the largest Salvadoran and Vietnamese communities in the mid-Atlantic.
| White (non-Hispanic) | 58.6% | |
| Black or African American | 18.6% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10.7% | ≈ 930,000 |
| Asian | 7.6% | |
| Two or more races | 4.0% | |
| Native American | 0.5% | 7 federally recognized tribes |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | |
| Salvadoran origin | ≈ 2.4% | Largest Hispanic subgroup |
| Indian & Vietnamese ancestry | ≈ 3.1% | |
| English, German & Irish ancestry | ≈ 30% |