Clarke County, Virginia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Clarke County is located in Virginia with a total population of 15,060. It is the 98th most populous county out of 133 in Virginia. The county encompasses 3 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Clarke County is 48.3 years. This is 24% higher than the state median of 38.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Clarke County is $114,185. This is 26% higher than the state median of $90,974. It is also 45% higher than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 6.9%. This is 31% lower than the state poverty rate of 9.9%. The unemployment rate is 3.5%. This is 19% lower than the state rate of 4.3%. The median home value is $538,900. Housing costs are 49% higher than the state median of $360,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.7x. 82.1% 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 Clarke County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 83.2% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 7.1%. The Black or African American population (4.9%) is well below the state average of 18.4%. The Asian population (1.1%) is well below the state average of 6.8%.

Education

37.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 10% 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 92.8%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Clarke 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.