Laurel, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

18,721

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

35.1

0.573% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.4%

13.7% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$73,609

5.26% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$283,600

Population & Diversity

Laurel, VA is home to a population of 18.7k people, from which 87.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 20.4% of Laurel, VA residents were born outside of the country (3.82k people).

In 2024, there were 1.54 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.05k people) in Laurel, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.22k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.5k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

87.3%

2024 Citizenship

88.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 87.3% of Laurel, VA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Laurel, VA was 88.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Laurel, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
8.05k ± 862
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
5.22k ± 982
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
1.5k ± 452

15.1%

Hispanic Population

2.82k people

15.1% of the people in Laurel, VA are hispanic (2.82k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Laurel, 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

20.4%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.82k people

18.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.35k people

As of 2024, 20.4% of Laurel, VA residents (3.82k 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 Laurel, VA was 18.4%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
166 ± 116
Vietnam
90 ± 66
Gulf War (2001-)
78 ± 53

Laurel, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.84 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Laurel, VA employs 10.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Laurel, VA were Retail Trade (1,434 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,405 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (819 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($85,202), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($80,179), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,813).

Employment

Occupations

10.3k

2024 Value

± 868

1.85%

1 Year growth

± 11.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Laurel, VA grew at a rate of 1.85%, from 10.1k employees to 10.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Laurel, VA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,292 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,016 people), and Management Occupations (971 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Laurel, 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

10.3k

2024 Value

± 868

1.85%

1 Year growth

± 11.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Laurel, VA grew at a rate of 1.85%, from 10.1k employees to 10.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Laurel, VA, are Retail Trade (1,434 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,405 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (819 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Laurel, VA, though some of these residents may live in Laurel, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$53,027

Median earning men ± $7,556

$47,030

Median earning women ± $3,402

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($250,001), Public Administration ($95,156), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($80,299).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($57,472), Wholesale Trade ($56,757), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,364).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Laurel, VA was $283,600 in 2024, which is 0.852 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $272,300 to $283,600, a 4.15% increase. The homeownership rate in Laurel, VA is 51.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Laurel, VA have an average commute time of 24 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Laurel, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$283,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,238

$3,712

Median Property Taxes

±$464

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 Laurel, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

Rent vs Own

51.8%

Homeownership

2024

67.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 51.8% of the housing units in Laurel, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 50.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Laurel, 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.

$73,609

Median Household Income

± $9,422

7.16k

Number of Households

± 716

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.16k households in Laurel, VA grew to $73,609 from the previous year's value of $69,932.

The following chart displays the households in Laurel, 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 Laurel, 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 (69.9%)
Worked At Home (15.7%)
Carpooled (10.7%)

In 2024, 69.9% of workers in Laurel, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.7%) and those who carpooled to work (10.7%).

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

24 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Laurel, VA have a shorter commute time (24 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.45% of the workforce in Laurel, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Laurel, VA (1.5k out of 17.8k 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 Males 25 - 34, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Laurel, VA is Black, followed by Hispanic and White.

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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