Census Data Kicks Off Redistricting Process In Virginia

SNAPSHOT


  • Virginia’s population increased by 7.9% in the last decade, bringing the total population to 8.6 million.
  • The release of the census data marked the beginning of the state’s redistricting process, which will determine legislative district maps for the next decade. 
  • Redistricting is being handled for the first time by a bipartisan commission, and the public now has the option to comment on proposed maps.


FULL STORY


Virginia’s population has been growing and becoming more diverse over the course of the past decade, recently released census data shows. The state’s population is currently 8.6 million, which is 7.9% higher than it was in 2010, when there were only 8 million people living in the commonwealth. 


The data, which was collected in 2020 and released after a nearly six month delay on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals a number of interesting characteristics about the people who call Virginia home. For example, for the first time ever, a majority of those under the age of 18 in the state — 51% — are people of color. Age aside, people of color made up 35% of the state’s population in 2010; today, people of color account for 41% of the population. One out of every ten Virginians now identify as Hispanic, bringing the state’s Hispanic population to 900,000. The state’s Asian American population also grew significantly over the past decade, increasing from 522,000 in 2010 to 757,000 today, making up 9% of the population. 


The data also shows that most of Virginia’s population growth has been concentrated in the northern part of the state, while the Southside and Southwest regions saw the steepest decline in population. Loudoun County, in northern Virginia, saw the largest population gain in the state — with 108,000 new residents, the county grew by 35% since 2010 for a current total population of 421,000. Other northern Virginia localities that saw significant growth include Stafford County, which grew by 22%, and Prince William County, which grew by 20%. 

By contrast, every locality in the Southwest region saw population decline in the last decade. And of the 18 localities along the state’s southern border with North Carolina, 14 localities also saw the number of residents drop. 


The release of the census data kicks off a redistricting process in Virginia, which for the first time will be handled by a bipartisan redistricting commission that was established after voters approved a new amendment to the state constitution on the ballot last November. The commission, made up of eight state legislators and eight citizens and split evenly by political party, has 45 days to draw up new General Assembly districts and 60 days to map new congressional districts. The 45 and 60 day timelines began the day the census data was released; the commission released its first draft maps within the last week. Final General Assembly maps will need to be drawn up by October 10, just over a month from now, and congressional maps will need to be ready by October 25. 


All of the redistricting commission’s meetings are open to the public. At least three public hearings are required before the commission proposes any new redistricting plans, and at least three more public hearings will be required prior to any votes on proposed redistricting plans. The public can weigh in on the process via either written comment or verbal comment. The commission will meet next on Thursday, September 9; a full calendar of the redistricting commission’s meetings is available here.

[Virginia Public Media] Data: Virginia’s Early Childhood Education Providers Are Succeeding

By VOW Ops • January 21, 2026
The second year of results from Virginia’s recently established Quality Establishment and Improvement System (VQB5) for early childhood education found that 99% of childcare providers receiving state funding meet or exceed quality expectations. As of early December 2025, over 154,000 views have been recorded on the system’s website since its October 2024 debut, revealing the many parents and families who appreciate the information that VQB5 offers them. None of these wonderful results would even be available to admire without the support and success we had in passing HB 1012 and SB 578 back in 2020! The data focuses on classroom interactions between children and caregivers and notes how said interactions encourage kids to express themselves at a young age. The state has also enacted categories of excellence for providers who score in the top 10%, exceed quality expectations, or even show significant improvement from an evaluation the year before. On top of that, a new data system called VAConnects helps integrate information on students over the years to track their learning progress. The Department of Education wishes to sustain the program and has requested $735,000 to do so. Overall, Virginia is serving as a model for other states to use in establishing best practices for their early childhood programs. Read more here .

[Richmond Times Dispatch] Virginians want General Assembly Action on Housing, Survey Finds

By VOW Ops • January 21, 2026
An August survey reveals that large majorities of Virginians want state lawmakers to address the rising cost of housing. The survey was conducted by Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia and Freedom Virginia. More than 8 in 10 Virginians said the General Assembly needs to act. More than 3 in 4 Virginians want lawmakers to prevent landlords from raising rents each year by more than 7%. Many Virginians also supported the idea of the state incentivizing localities to build more housing and providing developers with an ability to appeal rejected housing projects. Many proposals that were made to address all these public concerns were struck down during the 2025 legislative session. One of the main reasons why all the mentioned proposals failed to pass the General Assembly is because of the large influence the local government lobbies have in Richmond in protecting what little authority they are granted by the state. However, 6 in 10 Virginians indicated that they are more concerned with providing more housing than protecting local government authority. Read more here.

[Richmond Times Dispatch] Spanberger Details Affordability Measures in Health Care, Energy, Housing

By VOW Ops • December 19, 2025
Governor-elect Spanberger has released details on how her administration will work with the General Assembly to address affordability issues for Virginians regarding health care, energy, and housing. Democrats in the General Assembly argue the proposals are needed to mitigate the effects of President Trump’s tariff policies and reduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Some of the solutions being proposed are legislation from the previous session that were vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. In health care, Spanberger and Virginia Democrats will tackle pharmacy benefit managers’ ability to compel patients toward using affiliated-only pharmacies. The incoming administration also wants to limit the number of times insurance companies can request approvals from patients receiving certain cancer cares and medicines for chronic conditions. Democrats are also reviving legislation that would prohibit insurance companies from charging tobacco smokers higher premiums. Further, Spanberger supports implementing a pilot program to help Virginians who will face unaffordable insurance premiums resulting from the expiration of the ACA enhanced tax credits. In energy, Spanberger called to make it easier for Virginians to utilize small-scale solar panels which don’t require hard labor to install. She also wants the previously vetoed legislation that would set energy storage standards for utility companies brought back to her desk (Governor Youngkin vetoed it because of his belief that the Virginia Clean Economy Act associated with it was ineffective). In housing, Spanberger and Democrats are reviving legislation from 2025 that would extend the grace period tenants have before being evicted for missing rent payments. They are also proposing changes that would give local governments priority in acquiring affordable multi-family units supported by tax credits when the owner wants to sell or convert them. Further, Democrats are reintroducing a bill which would allow all localities to change their zoning ordinances to create dense and affordable housing (currently, only the counties of Albemarle and Loudoun and the cities of Alexandria, Charlottesville, and Fairfax are granted such provisions). Read more here.
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