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Powhatan County, VA

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
98
2% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$381,300
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+46.4%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,107
national $1,348
Homeownership
93%
national 65%
Unemployment
2.4%
national 3.6%
Household income
$110,667
national $78,538
Median age
45.3 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Richmond, VA.

The cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. The median home is valued at $381,300 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 46% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,107 a month. Unemployment averaged 2.4% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $110,667. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Powhatan County, VA saw a net gain of 226 tax-filing households and a net gain of 624 individuals. Against a population of about 32,105, that is a net inflow of about 19 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $28.8M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 365 households, came from Chesterfield County; the largest outflow, about 213 households, went to Chesterfield County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 425 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$28.8M
nominal dollars
Net households
+226
tax returns
Net people
+624
exemptions

+19.4 net people per 1,000 residents (population 32,105)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$87.8M
Moved out$59M
Net +$28.8M (nominal)
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Powhatan County within Virginia

Powhatan County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Virginia counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Chesterfield County, VA365$33.7M
  2. 2Henrico County, VA91$6.6M
  3. 3Richmond City, VA56$5.4M
  4. 4Amelia County, VA37$1.7M
  5. 5Goochland County, VA27$3.6M
  6. 6Hanover County, VA26$2.1M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Chesterfield County, VA213$24.9M
  2. 2Henrico County, VA80$5.2M
  3. 3Richmond City, VA54$2.9M
  4. 4Cumberland County, VA36$1.9M
  5. 5Amelia County, VA23$1.1M
  6. 6Hanover County, VA20$1.5M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Chesterfield County, VA365213+152+$8.8M
Henrico County, VA9180+11+$1.4M
Richmond City, VA5654+2+$2.5M
Amelia County, VA3723+14+$568K
Hanover County, VA2620+6+$587K
Cumberland County, VA36
Goochland County, VA27

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$294.5M (+6,101 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$9.6M+309
2013+$17.5M+349
2014+$12.6M+284
2015+$12.6M+93
2016+$19M+529
2017+$43.2M+985
2018+$20.8M+559
2019+$31.1M+529
2020+$20.6M+746
2021+$26.3M+669
2022+$52.3M+425
2023+$28.8M+624
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 624 more people moved into Powhatan County, VA than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $28.8M in income (nominal) — in a county of 32,102 people.

Population
32,102
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+19.4
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +194 people.
Net income per resident
+$898
nominal dollars
+$28.8M total across 32,102 residents.

The rate lets you compare Powhatan County, VA with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+262
Deaths
-289
Net domestic migration
+514
Net international migration
+21
Total change
+510

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Powhatan County, VA run about 2% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $102 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$72,084
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
3% above the U.S. average
Price level
98.3
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 1.7% lower than average
What that income buys
$73,303
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
5% above the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Richmond, VA metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents101.0
Goods97.1
Utilities88.8
Other services98.9

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Powhatan County, VA

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
45.3
years
Median household income
$110,667
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
41% above the U.S. median
College degree
34%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
3.3%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
33 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
91%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 85%Hispanic 3%Black 9%Asian 0%Other 3%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$381,300
owner-occupied homes
26% above the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,107
gross rent per month
18% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
93%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+8.1%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+46%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
145new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 93%Multifamily 7%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
2.4%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
17,251
16,842 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
2.8%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.4 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Powhatan County, VA has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20245,73414,918189R +44.120,841
20205,32014,055358R +44.319,733
20164,06011,885955R +46.316,900
20124,08811,200237R +45.815,525
20084,23710,088131R +40.514,456
20043,1128,95596R +48.012,163
20002,7086,820183R +42.39,711

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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