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Richmond City, 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
$328,100
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+52.9%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,314
national $1,348
Homeownership
43%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.1%
national 3.6%
Household income
$62,671
national $78,538
Median age
34.5 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 $328,100 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 53% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,314 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.1% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $62,671. 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, Richmond City, VA saw a net gain of 620 tax-filing households and a net loss of 737 individuals. Against a population of about 229,247, that is a net outflow of about 3.2 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $83.5M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 2,521 households, came from Henrico County; the largest outflow, about 3,409 households, went to Henrico County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 1,883 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$83.5M
nominal dollars
Net households
+620
tax returns
Net people
-737
exemptions

-3.2 net people per 1,000 residents (population 229,247)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$766.1M
Moved out$849.5M
Net -$83.5M (nominal)
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Richmond City within Virginia

Richmond City 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. 1Henrico County, VA2,521$145.6M
  2. 2Chesterfield County, VA2,108$103.1M
  3. 3Fairfax County, VA443$25.8M
  4. 4Hanover County, VA345$19.5M
  5. 5District of Columbia, DC195$21.4M
  6. 6Loudoun County, VA161$11.2M
  7. 7Prince William County, VA158$5.9M
  8. 8Virginia Beach City, VA155$6.9M
  9. 9Arlington County, VA151$13.8M
  10. 10Albemarle County, VA145$12.8M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Henrico County, VA3,409$239M
  2. 2Chesterfield County, VA2,452$145.6M
  3. 3Hanover County, VA309$21.6M
  4. 4Petersburg City, VA228$7.9M
  5. 5Fairfax County, VA221$18.8M
  6. 6District of Columbia, DC121$9.6M
  7. 7Virginia Beach City, VA116$9M
  8. 8Goochland County, VA111$16.6M
  9. 9Hopewell City, VA105$4.3M
  10. 10Kings County, NY95$5.6M
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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.

Henrico County, VA2,5213,409-888-$93.4M
Chesterfield County, VA2,1082,452-344-$42.4M
Fairfax County, VA443221+222+$6.9M
Hanover County, VA345309+36-$2M
Petersburg City, VA136228-92-$3.5M
District of Columbia, DC195121+74+$11.9M
Virginia Beach City, VA155116+39-$2.1M
Arlington County, VA15193+58+$6.3M
Prince William County, VA15884+74+$2.5M
Norfolk City, VA14277+65+$2.9M
Albemarle County, VA14573+72+$6M
Loudoun County, VA16151+110+$8.4M

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: -$587.9M (-19,203 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$29.9M-761
2013-$11.8M-1,261
2014-$31.4M-1,195
2015+$73.3M+1,765
2016-$38.4M-1,439
2017-$118.7M-3,741
2018-$25.2M-1,803
2019+$11M-2,207
2020-$128.7M-3,277
2021-$133.3M-2,664
2022-$71.3M-1,883
2023-$83.5M-737
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 737 more people left Richmond City, VA than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $83.5M in income (nominal) — in a county of 230,804 people.

Population
230,804
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-3.2
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -32 people.
Net income per resident
−$362
nominal dollars
-$83.5M total across 230,804 residents.

The rate lets you compare Richmond City, 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
+2,927
Deaths
-2,089
Net domestic migration
-794
Net international migration
+1,858
Total change
+1,868

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 Richmond City, 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
$76,702
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
10% 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
$77,999
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
11% 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 Richmond City, VA

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

Median age
34.5
years
Median household income
$62,671
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
20% below the U.S. median
College degree
44%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
18.8%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
22 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
85%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 41%Hispanic 10%Black 42%Asian 2%Other 5%

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
$328,100
owner-occupied homes
8% above the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,314
gross rent per month
3% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
43%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+9.1%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+53%
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
2,283new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 17%Multifamily 83%

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
3.1%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
129,805
125,797 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
3.8%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.5 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 Richmond City, VA has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202488,71017,0412,392D +66.3108,143
202092,17516,6032,403D +68.0111,181
201681,25915,5816,644D +63.5103,484
201275,92120,0501,598D +57.397,569
200873,62318,649813D +59.193,085
200452,16721,637521D +41.174,325
200042,71720,2652,944D +34.165,926

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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