Clarke County, Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clarke 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.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 73% of counties in Virginia
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 86% of counties in Virginia
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 78% of counties in Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clarke County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 15,216 | 8,702,460 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 85.3 | 203.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.74% | 0.57% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.6 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,880 | 3,364,625 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clarke County grew by 5.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15,216 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clarke County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 26.2% of residents. That is 5.8 points above Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,697 17.7% -3.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,601 17.1% -5.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,991 26.2% +5.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,160 20.8% +4.2 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 51.0% of the people living in Clarke County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Virginia 50.6%
- Men 49.0% Virginia 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Clarke County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Clarke County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Clarke County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,882 | $93,527 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.84% | 4.33% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clarke County is about 20% higher than in Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Clarke County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $327,592 | $256,082 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,370 | $1,579 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.5% | 67.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clarke County is about 19.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,370 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clarke County spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 235 hours, about 9.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clarke County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 28.2 | 23.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 56.4 | 46.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 235 | 193 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,285 | $5,986 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 21.3% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,791 | 10,059 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,728 | 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 Clarke County is 28 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
Clarke County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Clarke County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.9% | 37.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.53 | 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
Clarke County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Clarke County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.1 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.7% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.7% | 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).
Clarke County, VA Compared With Nearby Counties
Clarke County, VA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 15,216 residents against a local median of 77,109. The measure that sets Clarke County, VA apart most is median household income: $111,882, 22% above the local median of $91,574. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread $17,083 on median household income, so Clarke County, VA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clarke County, VA has the highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County, VA | 15,216 | $111,882 #1/5 | $327,592 #3/5 | 28.2 min #3/5 |
| Jefferson County, WV | 59,260 | $98,855 | $354,347 | 32.1 min |
| Frederick County, VA | 94,959 | $97,732 | $340,016 | 23.3 min |
| Warren County, VA | 41,487 | $85,417 | $12,500 | 33.3 min |
| Berkeley County, WV | 129,514 | $81,771 | $267,272 | 23.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clarke County, Virginia.
What is the population of Clarke County, Virginia?
About 15,216 people live in Clarke County, Virginia, in 5,880 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 45.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
How densely populated is Clarke County, Virginia?
Averaged over its land area, Clarke County, Virginia has 85 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Clarke County, Virginia an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.9 times the median household income ($327,592 against $111,882), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,370 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Clarke County, Virginia?
Unemployment in Clarke County, Virginia is only 2.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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