Richmond city, Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Richmond 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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C
Health Below average
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C
Income Below average
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 85% of counties in Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Richmond city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 229,341 | 8,702,460 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3664.0 | 203.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.68% | 0.57% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.6 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 104,310 | 3,364,625 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Richmond city grew by 13.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 229,341 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Richmond city is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.2% of residents. That is 4.8 points above Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 59,979 26.2% +4.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 57,444 25.0% +2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 39,430 17.2% -3.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 33,773 14.7% -1.8 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 52.8% of the people living in Richmond city and men 47.2%.
- Women 52.8% Virginia 50.6%
- Men 47.2% Virginia 49.4%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Richmond city
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Economy
Richmond city has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Richmond city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,702 | $93,527 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.76% | 4.33% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Richmond city is about 31% lower than in Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Richmond city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $273,766 | $256,082 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,371 | $1,579 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 43.5% | 67.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Richmond city is about 16.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,371 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Richmond city spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 157 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Richmond city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.9 | 23.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.7 | 46.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 157 | 193 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,871 | $5,986 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 19.5% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 15,261 | 10,059 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,720 | 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 Richmond city is 19 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
Richmond city has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Richmond city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 40.3% | 37.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.10 | 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
Richmond city has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Richmond city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.2% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.9% | 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).
Richmond city, VA Compared With Nearby Counties
Richmond city, VA is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 229,341 residents against a local median of 335,485. Richmond city, VA's median household income, at $64,702, runs 37% below the $102,256 typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 18.9 min against a local median of 23.9 min, 21% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Richmond city, VA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves sit within $24,034 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Richmond city, VA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Richmond city, VA has the 4th highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond city, VA | 229,341 | $64,702 #4/4 | $273,766 #3/4 | 18.9 min #1/4 |
| Henrico County, VA | 335,485 | $89,133 | $316,992 | 20.8 min |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 377,744 | $102,256 | $259,447 | 25.4 min |
| Hanover County, VA | 112,800 | $113,167 | $392,187 | 23.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Richmond city, Virginia.
How big is Richmond city, Virginia by population?
About 229,341 people live in Richmond city, Virginia, in 104,310 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 33.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Richmond city, Virginia?
Averaged over its land area, Richmond city, Virginia has 3,664 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 42 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Richmond city, Virginia?
The median home costs 4.2 times the median household income ($273,766 against $64,702), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,371 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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