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. (2018). Virginia Population Estimates. Retrieved from https://demographics.coopercenter.org/virginia-population-estimates
Cooper Center Estimates – Data and Methodology
July 1, 2017 Estimates
The 2018 population estimates will be posted on January 28, 2019.
- Data Table
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- Components of Change
- Methodology
- Virginia's Annual Population Growth the Lowest in Nearly a Century | Press Release
- 2017 estimates show growth slowing, with most concentrated in Northern Virginia | web series
- A published article examining the accuracy of the Cooper Center estimates
Annual Population Estimates for Previous Decades
2010-2017 • 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.