Population 1,651 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Brightwood
Household size in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.09 | 2.63 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.90 | 2.68 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.70 | 2.68 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.57 | 2.62 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.52 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
The average household in Brightwood has 2.57 people, a bit under the U.S. average of 2.65. The picture is much the same across Virginia. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 3.09, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.3 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 39.1 | 39.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 43.3 | 40.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 48.0 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +10.6 | +2.1 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 48.0, Brightwood is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.1% | 11.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.1% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 4.9% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.5% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | −3.6 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in Brightwood (9.5%), below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Brightwood
Renters in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.3% | 31.1% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 15.0% | 33.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 20.5% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 13.2% | 32.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | −7.1 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 13.2% of households in Brightwood rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Nearly half of owners (47.8%) have paid off their mortgages, above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.2% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 7.8% | 10.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 20.8% | 9.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 9.5% | 8.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.7 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in Brightwood is close to the national rate: 9.5% of homes are empty, against 9.6%.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1976 | 1978 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1977 | 1980 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1975 | 1981 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1982 | 1984 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +5 | +6 |
Homes in Brightwood are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1982, versus 1980 nationally.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $597 | $1,143 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $885 | $1,238 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $864 | $1,436 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,169 | $1,743 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$572 | +$600 | +$606 |
The median renter in Brightwood pays $1,169 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 20.8% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Brightwood
Bachelor's degrees in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.4% | 35.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.3% | 36.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 23.8% | 39.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 25.0% | 42.5% | 35.6% |
| Change | +3.6 pts | +7.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Brightwood have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 25.0%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 81.2% | 86.8% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 86.4% | 88.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 83.2% | 89.9% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 86.5% | 91.6% | 89.3% |
| Change | +5.4 pts | +4.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
Nearly one in seven adults in Brightwood never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 86.5% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Brightwood
| Period | Brightwood | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.8% | 6.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 2.9% | 7.0% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 1.0% | 4.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.4 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 5.4%, unemployment in Brightwood is the same as the national rate. The rate is higher than in Virginia as a whole (4.3%). Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Brightwood compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightwood | 2.57 | 48.0 | 9.5% | 13.2% | 9.5% | 1982 | $1,169 | 25.0% | 86.5% | 5.4% |
| Leon | 2.63 | 45.1 | 10.5% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 1983 | $1,272 | 22.7% | 87.7% | 6.2% |
| Graves Mill | 2.81 | 42.1 | 11.0% | 20.0% | 21.0% | 1989 | $1,210 | 22.8% | 91.3% | 9.7% |
| Haywood | 2.42 | 45.3 | 8.8% | 27.5% | 14.1% | 1976 | $997 | 22.8% | 84.5% | 5.3% |
| Oakpark | 2.60 | 47.3 | 8.5% | 18.2% | 5.9% | 1985 | $1,450 | 31.7% | 91.8% | 5.4% |
| Reva | 2.48 | 44.6 | 6.8% | 11.6% | 10.4% | 1984 | $1,385 | 19.0% | 87.6% | 4.3% |
| Locust Dale | 2.60 | 51.9 | 7.2% | 13.7% | 6.7% | 1986 | $1,344 | 31.9% | 88.4% | 7.4% |
| Madison | 2.49 | 46.0 | 7.3% | 30.3% | 9.0% | 1978 | $1,195 | 27.1% | 88.5% | 3.1% |
| Shelby | 2.85 | 42.7 | 10.5% | 21.2% | 21.8% | 1991 | $1,212 | 24.6% | 92.3% | 11.1% |
| Aroda | 2.56 | 43.0 | 9.9% | 18.5% | 8.1% | 1984 | $1,526 | 29.7% | 95.0% | 3.1% |
| Pratts | 2.41 | 47.1 | 7.6% | 23.4% | 10.0% | 1979 | $1,140 | 27.1% | 90.0% | 1.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Barton, NY · Wood River, NE · Bement, IL · Wisner, NE · Bolingbroke, GA · Booker, TX · Mokelumne Hill, CA · Salix, PA · Rubicon, WI · Rome, OH
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Brightwood. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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