Some of rural Virginia is getting younger; three years of Census data supports a steady trend

This map shows where age 25-45 population has increased from
2020 to 2023. (Map by H. Lombard, from Census Bureau data)

As more younger people move into Virginia, communities that were once watching young people leave or avoid their regions are seeing population growth. "The net in-migration of younger adults has been significant enough that the median age has now fallen in 35 Virginia localities," reports Dwayne Yancey of Cardinal News. "Most of them are rural, and most of them are in Southwest and Southside."

A longitudinal review of U.S. Census data reveals who is moving in, and in this case, it's not retirees. "In much of rural Virginia, we’re seeing an increase in the number of young adults, part of what appears nationally to be a post-pandemic trend to move out of bigger cities," Yancey explains. Three years of data support this shift. "In 1980, there wasn’t much difference in the median ages among localities in Virginia. . . . By 2019, every locality had gotten older but. . .new data that shows since the 2020 census, some localities have gotten younger."

While the shift in numbers isn't huge, it's significant because the overall net shows a trend of younger people making rural Virginia home. Yancey reports, "Virtually every locality is seeing its 65 and older population grow. . . as the huge baby boom generation ages. . . [And] most places have seen their population of ages 25 to 45 grow. . . . working-age adults in the main years for getting married and having families. Overall, though, the state is gaining people in the 25-45 cohort; it’s just not gaining them in the biggest metros. Instead, they’re going to rural areas."

 These communities are getting younger.
(Map by H. Lombard, from Census Bureau data)

Rural Virginia is still aging and remains the oldest in the state; however, "The state's two biggest metro areas, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, are facing unprecedented demographic challenges that should concern all of us," Yancey adds. "Rural areas depend on our state's metro areas to generate the revenue that subsidizes rural schools, for instance. . . . Much of rural Virginia is now seeing a demographic renaissance." Danville and Martinsville, Virginia, were "given up for dead when textiles, tobacco and furniture collapsed," but have had surprising recoveries.