Richmond, Virginia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Richmond is located in Virginia with a total population of 229,359. It is the 10th most populous county out of 133 in Virginia.

Age Demographics

The median age in Richmond is 34.7 years. This is 11% lower than the state median of 39.0 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Richmond is $64,587. This is 31% lower than the state median of $93,170. It is also 20% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 18.2%. This is 84% higher than the state poverty rate of 9.9%. The unemployment rate is 5.7%. This is 35% higher than the state rate of 4.3%. The median home value is $353,000. Housing costs are 8% lower than the state median of $383,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 5.5x. 43.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 35% lower than the state average of 67.3%.

Race & Ethnicity

Richmond is a highly diverse community where no single racial or ethnic group constitutes a majority of the population. Black or African American residents account for 40.6%. The Black or African American population is significantly higher than the state average (40.6% vs 18.3%). The Asian population (2.1%) is well below the state average of 6.9%.

Education

45.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 8% higher than the state rate of 42.2%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 90.2%. Notably, 18.9% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Richmond come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, 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.