Virginia

The population of Virginia is estimated to be 8.257 million people (2016). Since 2010, it has increased by 255,606 people (approximately 3.2%). Neighboring states have the following population: currently, 9.845 million people live in North Carolina (3.2% population growth since 2010), 5.931 million live in Maryland (2.7 % growth compared with the data for 2010).

The median household income in Virginia is $65,015 (2016). Since 2010, it has increased by $1,379 (2.2%). The highest median household incomes are in the following cities of Virginia: Great Falls ($234,091), McLean ($186,962), and Clifton ($177,500). These are the median household incomes in the neighboring states: $70,848 in District of Columbia and $46,868 in North Carolina.

The median property value in Virginia is $245,000 (2016). These are the cities in Virginia with the highest median property values: Great Falls ($1,103,000), McLean ($955,800), Clifton ($750,000), Falls Church ($718,900), and Dunn Loring ($686,200). Median home prices in nearby states include $286,900 in Maryland, and $245,000 in North Carolina.

A poverty rate shows the percentage of the poor among the entire population. For the state of Virginia, the estimated poverty rate is 8.22% (based on the data for 2016). Since 2010, this figure has increased by 0.43 percentage points. The official poverty rate in the U.S. is 12.7 percent (according to the U.S. Census Bureau for 2016). Thus, we see that Virginia is below the national level based on this measure (for this indicator, lower is better). Neighboring Virginia states have the following poverty level: the poverty rate in North Carolina is 12.79%, in Maryland—6.97%.

In 2016, the median gross rent in Virginia was estimated at $1,116 per month. The following cities top the list of places with the highest median gross rent in Virginia: Great Falls ($3,061/mo), Fort Hunt ($2,988/mo), McLean ($2,771/mo), Fort Belvoir ($2,513/mo), and Wakefield ($2,362/mo). For comparison purposes, we present data on median gross rent in neighboring states: in Maryland renters pay $1,230/mo, in North Carolina—$1,116/mo.

The estimated rent burden in Virginia is 29.9% (based on Census records for 2016). It is considered that if a household spends no more than 30 percent of its income on rent, utilities, and other building costs, such housing is affordable. Rental housing in Alabama is becoming less affordable. In 2009, the rent burden was lower and estimated at 28.7%. Compare the housing affordability in Virginia and neighboring states: in North Carolina, the rent burden is 30.3%, in District of Columbia — 29.5%.

The share of renter-occupied housing units in Virginia is 33.82%. This figure has slightly increased compared to 2010, when 32.75% of houses and apartments were rented out. The following cities in Virginia have the highest share of renter-occupied units: Warm Springs (100.00%), Fort Belvoir (99.55%), and Fort Lee (97.50%). Here's what rental market looks like in the nearby states: in North Carolina 34.87% of housing units are occupied by renters or tenants, in Maryland—33.18%.

Experts estimate the number of renter occupied households in Virginia at 1,012,175 units (based on Census and ESRI data for 2016). In 2015, there were 996,441 of such households. Cities in Virginia with the largest number of renter occupied households are the following: Virginia Beach (62,900), Arlington (61,873), Richmond (55,476), Norfolk (49,923), and Newport News (36,470). Here's what rental housing looks like in nearby states: there are 1,355,467 renter occupied households in North Carolina and 1,355,467 households in District of Columbia.

The total number of eviction judgments in Virginia is 51,821 (2016). In 2015, there were 50,213 evictions. Thus, we observe an increase of 3.2%. In the neighboring states, the picture is as follows: 62,539 evictions were conducted in North Carolina, 4,694 evictions were conducted in Maryland.

There were 146,534 eviction cases filed in Virginia in 2016. There were 144,220 of such cases in 2015 (growth of 2314 filings, or 1.6% up). Nearby states recorded the following stats: 147,038 cases were registered in North Carolina, 136,740 in Maryland (data for 2016).