Caroline County, Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Caroline County, VA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
B
Income Around averageWealthier than 73% of counties in Virginia
-
D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 71% of counties in Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Caroline County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,098 | 8,702,460 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 59.8 | 203.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.99% | 0.57% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.4 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 11,987 | 3,364,625 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Caroline County grew by 19.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 32,098 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Caroline County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.5% of residents. That is 0.9 points below Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,470 20.2% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 6,905 21.5% -0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,803 21.2% +0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,393 16.8% +0.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Virginia, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.4% of the people living in Caroline County and men 50.6%.
- Women 49.4% Virginia 50.6%
- Men 50.6% Virginia 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Caroline County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Caroline County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Caroline County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,935 | $93,527 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.14% | 4.33% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Caroline County is about 7% lower than in Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Caroline County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $129,640 | $256,082 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,292 | $1,579 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.3% | 67.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Caroline County is about 8.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,292 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Caroline County spend about 65 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 270 hours, about 11.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Caroline County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 32.3 | 23.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 64.7 | 46.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 270 | 193 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,356 | $5,986 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.5% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 16,930 | 10,059 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,099 | 1,531 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Virginia:
Lexington city (10.6 min), Covington city (12.2 min), Norton city (13.1 min).
Slowest:
Amelia County (43.7 min), Craig County (41.3 min), Buckingham County (41.3 min).
The average commute time in Caroline County is 32 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in Virginia.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Caroline County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Caroline County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.5% | 37.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.60 | 2.52 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Virginia:
Falls Church city (0.6), Arlington County (0.6), Alexandria city (0.5).
Lowest:
Greensville County (0.2), Lunenburg County (0.2), Buchanan County (0.2).
Health
Caroline County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Caroline County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.3 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.5% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.5% | 19.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Virginia:
Falls Church city (0.8), Arlington County (0.8), Fairfax County (0.8).
Lowest:
Emporia city (0.7), Petersburg city (0.8), Galax city (0.8).
Caroline County, VA Compared With Nearby Counties
Caroline County, VA is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 32,098 residents against a local median of 129,663. Caroline County, VA's median home price, at $129,640, runs 64% below the $360,264 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $86,935 against a local median of $114,513, 24% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 24% below the local median it puts Caroline County, VA at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $67,030 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Caroline County, VA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Caroline County, VA has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline County, VA | 32,098 | $86,935 #5/5 | $129,640 #5/5 | 32.3 min #5/5 |
| Hanover County, VA | 112,800 | $113,167 | $392,187 | 23.9 min |
| King George County, VA | 27,895 | $115,859 | $328,342 | 31.2 min |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 146,526 | $112,930 | $327,379 | 31.0 min |
| Stafford County, VA | 163,446 | $138,122 | $394,409 | 31.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Caroline County, Virginia.
How many people live in Caroline County, Virginia?
About 32,098 people live in Caroline County, Virginia, in 11,987 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 37.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Caroline County, Virginia urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Caroline County, Virginia has 60 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Caroline County, Virginia?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($129,640 against $86,935), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,292 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Caroline County, Virginia?
20.5% of adults in Caroline County, Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →