Nelson County, VA

County

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2023 Population

14,777

0.0271% 1-year growth

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2023 Median Age

51.3

1.18% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

14.4%

8.53% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$68,525

7.02% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$283,000

2.87% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

6,616

3.32% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Nelson County, VA had a population of 14.8k people with a median age of 51.3 and a median household income of $68,525. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Nelson County, VA grew from 14,773 to 14,777, a 0.0271% increase and its median household income grew from $64,028 to $68,525, a 7.02% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Nelson County, VA are White (Non-Hispanic) (79.9%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (10.3%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.99%), Other (Hispanic) (1.77%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (1.69%).

None of the households in Nelson County, VA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.7% of the residents in Nelson County, VA are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Nelson County, VA was $283,000, and the homeownership rate was 79.2%.

Most people in Nelson County, VA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Nelson County, VA was 2 cars per household.

Nelson County, VA borders Albemarle County, VA, Amherst County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Augusta County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, and Rockbridge County, VA.

United States Virginia Charlottesville, VA

Population & Diversity

Nelson County, VA is home to a population of 14.8k people, from which 97.7% are citizens. As of 2023, 5.15% of Nelson County, VA residents were born outside of the country (761 people).

In 2023, there were 7.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (11.8k people) in Nelson County, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.52k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 442 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.7%

2023 Citizenship

98.1%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 97.7% of Nelson County, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Nelson County, VA was 98.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Nelson County, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
11.8k ± 178
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.52k ± 274
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
442 ± 228

4.68%

Hispanic Population

692 people

4.68% of the people in Nelson County, VA are hispanic (692 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Nelson County, VA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
107,605 ± 8,003 people
India
98,735 ± 7,670 people
Mexico
59,855 ± 5,986 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 107,605 Virginia residents, followed by India with 98,735 and Mexico with 59,855.

Foreign-Born Population

5.15%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

761 people

4.26%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

630 people

As of 2023, 5.15% of Nelson County, VA residents (761 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Nelson County, VA was 4.26%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
468 ± 133
Gulf War (2001-)
271 ± 123
Gulf War (1990s)
108 ± 67

Nelson County, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.73 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Nelson County, VA employs 6.62k people. The largest industries in Nelson County, VA are Health Care & Social Assistance (804 people), Construction (756 people), and Educational Services (722 people), and the highest paying industries are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($116,378), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($92,986), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,072).

Males in Virginia have an average income that is 1.33 times higher than the average income of females, which is $69,674. The income inequality in Virginia (measured using the Gini index) is 0.475, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

6.62k

2023 Value

± 634

−3.32%

1 Year decline

± 13.8%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Nelson County, VA declined at a rate of −3.32%, from 6.84k employees to 6.62k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Nelson County, VA, are Management Occupations (969 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (627 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (560 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Nelson County, VA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

6.62k

2023 Value

± 634

−3.32%

1 Year decline

± 13.8%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Nelson County, VA declined at a rate of −3.32%, from 6.84k employees to 6.62k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Nelson County, VA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (804 people), Construction (756 people), and Educational Services (722 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Nelson County, VA, though some of these residents may live in Nelson County, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,886

Median earning men ± $5,028

$40,598

Median earning women ± $2,616

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($94,861), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($82,011), and Wholesale Trade ($77,122).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($90,089), Public Administration ($83,107), and Manufacturing ($55,769).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.1M people employed in Virginia. This represents a 2.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Virginia.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

53
Construction
30
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
25
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$25.2k
Accommodation and Food Services
$17.2k
Manufacturing
$10.3k
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Nelson County, VA went to Donald J. Trump with 51.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (46.4%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.61%).

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing the state of Virginia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Virginia is currently represented by 11 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (51.6%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (46.4%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (1.61%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Nelson County, VA for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Virginia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.

Mark Warner

Senator from Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2009

Tim Kaine

Senator from Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing Virginia.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Virginia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Virginia

Virginia is currently represented by 11 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Virginia have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.884% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.904% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.71M), Bachelors Degree (1.47M), and Some college (1.4M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Nelson County, VA was $283,000 in 2023, which is 0.933 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $275,100 to $283,000, a 2.87% increase. The homeownership rate in Nelson County, VA is 79.2%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Nelson County, VA have an average commute time of 30.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Nelson County, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2023, 13.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Nelson County, VA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 1.03%.

Housing

Property

$283,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$27,091

$5,124

Median Property Taxes

±$493

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 Nelson County, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

79.2%

Homeownership

2023

68.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 79.2% of the housing units in Nelson County, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 79%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Census Tract 9503

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

The following map shows all of the tracts in Nelson County, VA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$68,525

Median Household Income

± $9,514

6.47k

Number of Households

± 565

In 2023, the median household income of the 6.47k households in Nelson County, VA grew to $68,525 from the previous year's value of $64,028.

The following chart displays the households in Nelson County, 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 Nelson County, VA is from Virginia.

0.475

2022 Wage GINI in Virginia

0.476

2021 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2022, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.475 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.164% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (63.6%)
Worked At Home (22.7%)
Carpooled (9.63%)

In 2023, 63.6% of workers in Nelson County, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (22.7%) and those who carpooled to work (9.63%).

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

30.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Nelson County, VA have a longer commute time (30.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.01% of the workforce in Nelson County, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 13.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Nelson County, VA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 1.03%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

14.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Nelson County, VA (2.12k out of 14.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 75+.

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

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.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 18.8% of the children was living in poverty in Nelson County, VA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 4.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

92.3% of the population of Nelson County, VA has health coverage, with 37.6% on employee plans, 16% on Medicaid, 22.2% on Medicare, 15% on non-group plans, and 1.42% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Nelson County, VA see 1054 patients per year on average, which represents a 5.93% increase from the previous year (995 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2113 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 704 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,054 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Nelson County, VA

Primary care physicians in Nelson County, VA see an average of 1,054 patients per year. This represents a 5.93% increase from the previous year (995 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Nelson County, VA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.5% under 18 years, 15.6% between 18 and 34 years, 36.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 29.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.68%

Uninsured

37.6%

Employer Coverage

16%

Medicaid

22.2%

Medicare

15%

Non-Group

1.42%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Nelson County, VA declined by 10.8% from 8.61% to 7.68%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Nelson County, VA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was N/A in Nelson County, VA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Nelson County, VA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 34.6% in Nelson County, VA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Nelson County, VA.