Caroline County, Virginia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Caroline County is located in Virginia with a total population of 31,541. It is the 55th most populous county out of 133 in Virginia. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Caroline County is 39.4 years. This is 2% higher than the state median of 38.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Caroline County is $86,267. This is 5% lower than the state median of $90,974. It is also 10% higher than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 11.6%. This is 17% higher than the state poverty rate of 9.9%. The unemployment rate is 4.5%. This is 6% higher than the state rate of 4.3%. The median home value is $283,100. Housing costs are 22% lower than the state median of $360,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.3x. 81.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 22% higher than the state average of 67.2%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Caroline County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 61.5% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 23.5%. The Asian population (1.2%) is well below the state average of 6.8%.

Education

23.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 44% lower than the state rate of 41.5%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 89.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Caroline County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Virginia and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.