Each year, demographers at the Weldon Cooper Center develop and release the official population estimates for Virginia and its counties and independent cities to illuminate population counts between decennial censuses. These estimates provide the best approximation of the population count on July 1st of the prior year. Population estimates are an important tool used by a variety of state agencies in their planning processes — from developing budgets to determining salaries for public officials.
The citation for the Virginia Population Estimates should read, University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center, Demographics Research Group. (2020). Virginia Population Estimates. Retrieved from https://demographics.coopercenter.org/virginia-population-estimates
Cooper Center Estimates – Data and Methodology
July 1, 2019 Estimates
*The July 1, 2020 Estimates will be posted by January 29, 2021*
- Data Table
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- Components of Change
- Methodology
- State population growth slows, with most new residents in Northern Virginia | Press Release
- Population growth in Virginia slowest in a century as out-migration continues | web series
- A published article examining the accuracy of the Cooper Center estimates
Annual Population Estimates for Previous Decades
2010-2019 • 2000-2010 • 1990-2000 • 1980-1990 • 1970-1980 • 1960-1970
→ Age and sex, race and Hispanic, and towns estimates are produced by the U.S. Census Bureau and released in May. We post their estimates in a user-friendly format for your convenience.
Contact
Hamilton Lombard: hamilton.lombard@virginia.edu | 434.982.5698 with questions or comments.
