The Richmond metro area: Amelia County, Charles City County, Chesterfield County, Colonial Heights City, Dinwiddie County, Goochland County, Hanover County, Henrico County, Hopewell City, King William County, King and Queen County, New Kent County, Petersburg City, Powhatan County, Prince George County, Richmond City and Sussex County · Population 1,341,248 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Richmond area
Household size in the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.58 | 2.63 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.63 | 2.68 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.63 | 2.68 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.54 | 2.62 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.04 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in the Richmond area run a little small, averaging 2.54 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. Since 2006–10, household size has edged down from 2.58, as it has nationally. Households are largest in the southwest and smallest in the center.
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 the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 38.2 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 39.0 | 39.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 40.0 | 40.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.6 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.4 | +2.1 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in the Richmond area are younger than 39.6 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 38.2, in line with the national trend. The youngest areas are in the center, the oldest in the northeast.
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 the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.4% | 11.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.4% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 11.3% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 12.5% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.1 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in eight households in the Richmond area (12.5%), close to the national share of 11.6%. Single parents are more common here than in Virginia overall (10.7%).
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 the Richmond area
Renters in the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 31.5% | 31.1% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 33.8% | 33.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 34.4% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 33.0% | 32.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
About a third of households in the Richmond area rent their homes (33.0%), close to the national share of 34.8%. About three in ten owners (30.7%) have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the southwest. The renter share is up 1.5 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally.
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 the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.7% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.1% | 10.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.1% | 9.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.4% | 8.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.3 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in the Richmond area is close to the national rate: 8.4% of homes are empty, against 9.6%. Vacancy has edged down 1.3 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
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 the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1977 | 1978 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1979 | 1980 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1980 | 1981 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1984 | 1984 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +5 | +6 |
Homes in the Richmond area are a bit newer than the national norm: the median home was built in 1984, versus 1980 across the U.S. The median year built has moved up from 1977 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the southwest, while the center has the oldest housing.
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 the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,006 | $1,143 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,097 | $1,238 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,248 | $1,436 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,608 | $1,743 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$602 | +$600 | +$606 |
Rent in the Richmond area runs $1,608 a month at the median, utilities included, close to the U.S. median of $1,571. Rents here are lower than in Virginia overall ($1,743). Rents are up $602 a month from 2006–10, a 60% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 30.6% of the typical renter's income, just over 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 the Richmond area
Bachelor's degrees in the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.0% | 35.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 34.4% | 36.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 38.0% | 39.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 41.0% | 42.5% | 35.6% |
| Change | +8.0 pts | +7.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are a bit more common in the Richmond area than nationally: 41.0% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 8.0 points, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the northwest and least in the southeast.
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 the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 86.5% | 86.8% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 88.1% | 88.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 90.0% | 89.9% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 92.3% | 91.6% | 89.3% |
| Change | +5.8 pts | +4.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
About nine in ten adults in the Richmond area have finished high school (92.3%), a bit above the national rate of 89.3%. The figure for Virginia is much the same. The share with a diploma is up 5.8 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
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 the Richmond area
| Period | Richmond area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.1% | 6.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.2% | 7.0% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.2% | 4.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.5% | 4.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.6 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in the Richmond area runs below the national rate: 4.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Unemployment is down 2.6 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. 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).
Largest cities in the Richmond area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond area (all) | 2.54 | 39.6 | 12.5% | 33.0% | 8.4% | 1984 | $1,608 | 41.0% | 92.3% | 4.5% |
| Midlothian | 2.67 | 42.1 | 7.7% | 19.8% | 3.4% | 1997 | $1,818 | 59.5% | 96.0% | 4.1% |
| Mechanicsville | 2.65 | 43.4 | 8.4% | 16.5% | 4.1% | 1991 | $1,988 | 43.0% | 95.1% | 2.4% |
| Petersburg | 2.46 | 37.8 | 17.8% | 47.0% | 17.9% | 1975 | $1,215 | 27.6% | 88.7% | 9.9% |
| Chesterfield | 2.92 | 39.9 | 8.3% | 11.7% | 4.3% | 1996 | $1,922 | 41.3% | 95.2% | 4.4% |
| Glen Allen | 2.68 | 42.9 | 7.5% | 21.5% | 3.5% | 1997 | $1,934 | 55.8% | 93.8% | 2.8% |
| Tuckahoe | 2.56 | 42.0 | 11.7% | 37.3% | 6.1% | 1973 | $1,658 | 57.3% | 94.4% | 3.8% |
| Chester | 2.63 | 40.0 | 12.3% | 25.3% | 5.6% | 1998 | $1,816 | 36.4% | 92.5% | 3.3% |
| Hopewell | 2.48 | 37.4 | 19.6% | 38.4% | 16.2% | 1974 | $1,248 | 16.8% | 89.5% | 8.4% |
| Colonial Heights | 2.54 | 40.2 | 14.9% | 27.3% | 8.1% | 1975 | $1,581 | 31.1% | 92.6% | 4.8% |
| Montrose Heights | 2.31 | 43.6 | 9.3% | 27.8% | 6.0% | 1994 | $1,570 | 32.1% | 94.4% | 4.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Fresno area · Buffalo area · Birmingham area · Hartford area · Salt Lake City area · Memphis area · Louisville area · Raleigh area · Oklahoma City area · Milwaukee area
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 the Richmond area. 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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