United States · state

Virginia population 2026

Q: What is the population of Virginia in 2026?

The latest official figure is 8,880,107, for 1 July 2025 (US Census Bureau). If last year’s change continues, Virginia would have about 8.9 million people by 1 July 2026; that is our arithmetic, not an official figure. The Census Bureau publishes new state estimates each December.

Virginia has 8,880,107 people on the latest official figure, for 1 July 2025, 60,465 more than a year earlier (+0.69%). It is 12th of the US’s 50 states and DC by population, home to 2.6% of the US’s people.

If last year’s change continues: about 8.9 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

Virginia in numbers

Population: 8.9 million 1 July 2025
Change in a year: +0.69% +60,465 people
Change since 2020: +2.81% from 8.6 million
Share of the US: 2.6% 12th of 50 states and DC
Population density: 87per km² 102,256 km²
Births in the year: 92 thousand deaths: 78 thousand
International migration: +40 thousand net arrivals from abroad
Moves within the US: +6 thousand more people moved in than left

In the latest year births outnumbered deaths by 13,817, 40,436 more people arrived from abroad than left, and 6,268 more people moved in from the rest of the US than moved out.

That is about as many people as Belarus (8.9 million).

Population of Virginia by year

8.9M

› Show the numbers as a table

Year	Population
2010	8,024,004
2011	8,102,437
2012	8,187,456
2013	8,255,861
2014	8,315,430
2015	8,367,303
2016	8,417,651
2017	8,471,011
2018	8,510,920
2019	8,556,642
2020	8,637,303
2021	8,660,007
2022	8,681,038
2023	8,732,034
2024	8,819,642
2025	8,880,107

Year	Population	Change	%
2025	8,880,107	+60,465	+0.69%
2024	8,819,642	+87,608	+1.00%
2023	8,732,034	+50,996	+0.59%
2022	8,681,038	+21,031	+0.24%
2021	8,660,007	+22,704	+0.26%
2020	8,637,303	+80,661	+0.94%
2019	8,556,642	+45,722	+0.54%
2018	8,510,920	+39,909	+0.47%
2017	8,471,011	+53,360	+0.63%
2016	8,417,651	+50,348	+0.60%
2015	8,367,303	+51,873	+0.62%
2014	8,315,430	+59,569	+0.72%
2013	8,255,861	+68,405	+0.84%
2012	8,187,456	+85,019	+1.05%
2011	8,102,437	+78,433	+0.98%

2010–2019 are Vintage 2020 estimates and 2020–2025 are Vintage 2025, so the step between 2019 and 2020 is partly a change of base.

Virginia among the US’s states

Full ranking →

States of the US by population
#
1	California	39,355,309	−0.02%	11.5%	98
2	Texas	31,709,821	+1.25%	9.3%	47
3	Florida	23,462,518	+0.84%	6.9%	169
4	New York State	20,002,427	+0.01%	5.9%	164
5	Pennsylvania	13,059,432	+0.10%	3.8%	113
6	Illinois	12,719,141	+0.13%	3.7%	89
7	Ohio	11,900,510	+0.34%	3.5%	113
8	Georgia (US State)	11,302,748	+0.88%	3.3%	76
9	North Carolina	11,197,968	+1.32%	3.3%	89
10	Michigan	10,127,884	+0.28%	3.0%	69
11	New Jersey	9,548,215	+0.44%	2.8%	501
12	Virginia	8,880,107	+0.69%	2.6%	87
13	Washington State	8,001,020	+0.92%	2.3%	47
14	Arizona	7,623,818	+0.89%	2.2%	26
15	Tennessee	7,315,076	+0.88%	2.1%	69
16	Massachusetts	7,154,084	+0.22%	2.1%	354
17	Indiana	6,973,333	+0.56%	2.0%	75
18	Missouri	6,270,541	+0.43%	1.8%	35
19	Maryland	6,265,347	+0.32%	1.8%	249
20	Colorado	6,012,561	+0.40%	1.8%	22
21	Wisconsin	5,972,787	+0.26%	1.7%	43
22	Minnesota	5,830,405	+0.57%	1.7%	28
23	South Carolina	5,570,274	+1.46%	1.6%	72
24	Alabama	5,193,088	+0.58%	1.5%	40
25	Louisiana	4,618,189	+0.07%	1.4%	41
26	Kentucky	4,606,864	+0.50%	1.3%	45
27	Oregon	4,273,586	+0.19%	1.3%	17
28	Oklahoma	4,123,288	+0.62%	1.2%	23
29	Connecticut	3,688,496	+0.38%	1.1%	294
30	Utah	3,538,904	+1.02%	1.0%	17
31	Nevada	3,282,188	+0.88%	1.0%	12
32	Iowa	3,238,387	+0.25%	0.9%	22
33	Arkansas	3,114,791	+0.60%	0.9%	23
34	Kansas	2,977,220	+0.40%	0.9%	14
35	Mississippi	2,954,160	+0.14%	0.9%	24
36	New Mexico	2,125,498	−0.06%	0.6%	7
37	Idaho	2,029,733	+1.44%	0.6%	10
38	Nebraska	2,018,006	+0.62%	0.6%	10
39	West Virginia	1,766,147	−0.07%	0.5%	28
40	Hawaii	1,432,820	−0.15%	0.4%	86
41	New Hampshire	1,415,342	+0.48%	0.4%	61
42	Maine	1,414,874	+0.46%	0.4%	18
43	Montana	1,144,694	+0.63%	0.3%	3
44	Rhode Island	1,114,521	+0.37%	0.3%	416
45	Delaware	1,059,952	+0.94%	0.3%	210
46	South Dakota	935,094	+0.86%	0.3%	5
47	North Dakota	799,358	+0.75%	0.2%	5
48	Alaska	737,270	+0.10%	0.2%	1
49	District of Columbia	693,645	+0.34%	0.2%	4,381
50	Vermont	644,663	−0.29%	0.2%	27
51	Wyoming	588,753	+0.35%	0.2%	2

Largest cities in Virginia

City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.

Virginia Beach454,808
Norfolk238,005
Chesapeake235,429
Richmond226,610
Arlington207,627
Newport News186,247

Questions

What is the population of Virginia in 2026?

The latest official figure is 8,880,107, for 1 July 2025 (US Census Bureau). If last year’s change continues, Virginia would have about 8.9 million people by 1 July 2026; that is our arithmetic, not an official figure. The Census Bureau publishes new state estimates each December.

Is Virginia’s population growing or shrinking?

It grew by 60,465 people (+0.69%) in the latest year, and has changed +2.81% since 2020. In the latest year births outnumbered deaths by 13,817, 40,436 more people arrived from abroad than left, and 6,268 more people moved in from the rest of the US than moved out.

How does Virginia rank in the US?

Virginia is 12th of the US’s 50 states and DC, with 2.6% of the people. California is the largest, with 39.4 million.

What is the population density of Virginia?

About 87 people per km², on 102,256 km². Land area, US Census Bureau Gazetteer.

What is the largest city in Virginia?

Virginia Beach, with about 455 thousand people in the city proper. Metro areas are larger, and years differ (GeoNames).

Source and method

US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. US government work, public domain. Land area, US Census Bureau Gazetteer. The Census Bureau publishes new state estimates each December. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for the US, which uses a different method. The 2026 figure above carries last year’s change forward; it does not come from the source.

Cite this page: Virginia population, US Census Bureau, 1 July 2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/united-states/virginia/

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