Overview
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, 2022 Estimates
IMPORTANT NOTE: Across the country, localities with relatively large college populations, including some Virginia localities, were often undercounted in the April 1st, 2020 Census Count. In order to correct this undercount, we have benchmarked the 2020 and 2021 population estimates on the Weldon Cooper Center estimates instead of the 2020 Census count for localities with populations that are comprised of over 20 percent college students. This includes Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Montgomery County, Prince Edward County, Radford, and Williamsburg. Once the remainder of the 2020 Census data is released later this year, we will further examine the discrepancies in college town populations and make additional adjustments if needed.
- Data Table
| 
- Components of Change
- Methodology
- A published article examining the accuracy of the Cooper Center estimates
Annual Population Estimates for Previous Decades
2020-2022 • 2010-2020 • 2000-2010 • 1990-2000 • 1980-1990 • 1970-1980 • 1960-1970
U.S. Census Bureau Age & Sex, Race & Hispanic, and Town Estimates
These 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.