Forest, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

13,430

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

39.2

6.89% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

9.61%

28.6% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$81,552

3.46% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$319,800

Population & Diversity

Forest, VA is home to a population of 13.4k people, from which 98.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.93% of Forest, VA residents were born outside of the country (528 people).

In 2024, there were 6.03 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.2k people) in Forest, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.7k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 473 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.4%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.4% of Forest, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Forest, VA was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Forest, VA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Forest, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.2k ± 568
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.7k ± 530
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
473 ± 232

2.96%

Hispanic Population

397 people

2.96% of the people in Forest, VA are hispanic (397 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Forest, VA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Virginia.

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
108,778 ± 8,047 people
India
98,440 ± 7,659 people
Mexico
58,677 ± 5,927 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 108,778 Virginia residents, followed by India with 98,440 and Mexico with 58,677.

Foreign-Born Population

3.93%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

528 people

4.02%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

502 people

As of 2024, 3.93% of Forest, VA residents (528 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Forest, VA was 4.02%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Forest, VA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
222 ± 173
Vietnam
171 ± 79
Korea
111 ± 143

Forest, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.3 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Forest, VA.

Economy

The economy of Forest, VA employs 6.38k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Forest, VA were Educational Services (1,228 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,052 people), and Retail Trade (698 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($153,393), Transportation & Warehousing ($93,194), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($93,194).

Employment

Occupations

6.38k

2024 Value

± 642

7.61%

1 Year growth

± 13.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest, VA grew at a rate of 7.61%, from 5.93k employees to 6.38k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Forest, VA, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (861 people), Management Occupations (825 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (648 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Forest, VA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Virginia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

6.38k

2024 Value

± 642

7.61%

1 Year growth

± 13.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest, VA grew at a rate of 7.61%, from 5.93k employees to 6.38k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Forest, VA, are Educational Services (1,228 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,052 people), and Retail Trade (698 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Forest, VA, though some of these residents may live in Forest, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,210

Median earning men ± $4,495

$45,039

Median earning women ± $4,626

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($95,417), Wholesale Trade ($91,406), and Manufacturing ($73,281).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,174), Public Administration ($57,750), and Manufacturing ($56,923).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Forest, VA was $319,800 in 2024, which is 0.961 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $319,100 to $319,800, a 0.219% increase. The homeownership rate in Forest, VA is 75.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Forest, VA have an average commute time of 21.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Forest, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$319,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,122

$4,066

Median Property Taxes

±$453

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Forest, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Forest, VA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

75.9%

Homeownership

2024

67.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 75.9% of the housing units in Forest, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 75%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Forest, VA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$81,552

Median Household Income

± $7,145

5.36k

Number of Households

± 572

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.36k households in Forest, VA grew to $81,552 from the previous year's value of $78,825.

The following chart displays the households in Forest, VA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Forest, VA is from Virginia.

0.47

2024 Wage GINI in Virginia

0.472

2023 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2024, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.376% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Virginia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Virginia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (80.4%)
Worked At Home (15.6%)
Carpooled (3.15%)

In 2024, 80.4% of workers in Forest, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.6%) and those who carpooled to work (3.15%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Forest, VA have a shorter commute time (21.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.06% of the workforce in Forest, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Forest, VA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Forest, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Forest, VA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

9.61% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Forest, VA (1.28k out of 13.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Forest, VA is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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