Petersburg city, Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Petersburg city, 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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D
Health Well below averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Virginia
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 90% of counties in Virginia
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Petersburg city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 33,537 | 8,702,460 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1461.3 | 203.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.61% | 0.57% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.5 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,138 | 3,364,625 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Petersburg city grew by 2.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 33,537 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Petersburg city is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.3% of residents. That is about the same share as Virginia.
- Gen Z 13–28 7,154 21.3% on par
- Millennials 29–44 6,680 19.9% -2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,879 20.5% on par
- Boomers 61–79 5,679 16.9% +0.4 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 54.8% of the people living in Petersburg city and men 45.2%.
- Women 54.8% Virginia 50.6%
- Men 45.2% Virginia 49.4%
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100% of everyone living in Petersburg city
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Economy
Petersburg city has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Petersburg city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,908 | $93,527 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.76% | 4.33% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.8% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Petersburg city is about 46% lower than in Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Petersburg city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $152,734 | $256,082 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,173 | $1,579 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 38.6% | 67.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Petersburg city is about 10.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,173 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Petersburg city spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 170 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Petersburg city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.5 | 23.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.9 | 46.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 170 | 193 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,285 | $5,986 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.0% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,173 | 10,059 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,777 | 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 Petersburg city is 20 minutes, shorter 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
Petersburg city has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Petersburg city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.2% | 37.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.18 | 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
Petersburg city has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Petersburg city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 72.3 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.5% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.5% | 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).
Petersburg city, VA Compared With Nearby Counties
Petersburg city, VA is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 33,537 residents against a local median of 43,064. Petersburg city, VA's median household income, at $50,908, runs 42% below the $87,311 typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $152,734 against a local median of $259,447, 41% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Petersburg city, VA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves sit within $19,856 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Petersburg city, VA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Petersburg city, VA has the 4th highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg city, VA | 33,537 | $50,908 #4/4 | $152,734 #3/4 | 20.5 min #1/4 |
| Prince George County, VA | 43,064 | $87,311 | $73,953 | 20.8 min |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 377,744 | $102,256 | $259,447 | 25.4 min |
| Dinwiddie County, VA | 28,193 | $82,400 | $260,472 | 30.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Petersburg city, Virginia.
How big is Petersburg city, Virginia by population?
About 33,537 people live in Petersburg city, Virginia, in 15,138 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 36.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Petersburg city, Virginia?
Averaged over its land area, Petersburg city, Virginia has 1,461 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 17 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Petersburg city, Virginia?
The median home costs 3.0 times the median household income ($152,734 against $50,908), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,173 a month takes about 28% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Petersburg city, Virginia?
Unemployment in Petersburg city, Virginia is 9.8%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Petersburg city, Virginia?
20.2% of adults in Petersburg city, Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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