What is the poverty rate in Virginia?
Updated monthly
About 9.7% of Virginia’s population in 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 835,556 people in Virginia were considered in poverty.
9.7%
of the population (2024)
836K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.5 percentage points lower than the previous year. Virginia's poverty rate hit a peak in 2014 of 11.8%.
In 2024, 9.7% of Virginia population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 835,556 people living in Virginia were in poverty — down 12.4% from the 2014 peak of 953,395.
In 2024, 835,600 people in Virginia were in poverty.
People living under poverty line
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Virginia decreased from 15.8% to 11.7%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 11.2% to 9.2%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 7.8% to 9.4%.
In 2024, 11.7% of children in Virginia were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group
Among racial or ethnic groups in Virginia during 2024, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Black or African American population in Virginia shifted the most, decreasing from 21.2% in 2014 to 14.3% in 2024.
In Virginia, the poverty rate for the Black or African American population decreased from 21.2% in 2014 to 14.3% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Virginia counties ranged from 3.3% in Powhatan County to 33.7% in Radford Independent City. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Fairfax County — was 5.9%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Virginia counties ranged from 3.3% to 33.7%.
Poverty rate
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
