AreaProfile

Richmond, VA

Metro Area Profile

1,341,248 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Richmond, VA metropolitan area.

72
Area Score
Top 28% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 49% of 99 published metros58
GrowthTop 46% of 99 published metros53
Housing affordability56th of 99 published metros83
ClimateTop 30% of 99 published metros75
Physical resilienceTop 28% of 99 published metros75
AccessTop 48% of 99 published metros95
Economic stabilityTop 22% of 99 published metros87
The quick read

A major airport is 9 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

Its Area Score of 72 places Richmond in the top 28% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
1,341,248
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$86,679
Top 10% nationally
Density
307/sq mi
4364.3 sq mi of land
Median age
38.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Richmond, VA
Nearest major airport
RIC
9 mi · Richmond Intl
Median home value
$353,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.8% is lower than 74% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment fell 2.1% over the past year, to 689,987 employed residents.

41% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 91% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 90% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$1,050$86,679Top 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$499$47,682Top 9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.0%Bottom 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute27.0 minTop 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher41.1%Top 9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment689,987Top 44%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-2.1%Bottom 12%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-2.1%Bottom 10%June 2026
Labor force717,407Top 44%June 2026
Labor force participation66.5%Top 12%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$68,400Top 34%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$51,460Top 31%2025 OEWS
Metro employment660,350Top 45%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.4%Top 35%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.8%Bottom 26%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/064.82.5
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.8% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Richmond, VA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers17,100$29,500
Retail Salespersons16,210$33,580
General and Operations Managers15,770$108,670
Registered Nurses15,700$93,580
Cashiers14,460$30,350
Stockers and Order Fillers12,300$37,180

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,447 takes 20% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.1 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
20.0%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.1×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,447
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$353,500
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income4.08Top 25%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate67.0%Bottom 33%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±280569,714Top 5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$12$1,447Top 11%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,074$353,500Top 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income20.0%Top 29%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.4%Bottom 11%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
53/ 100
Top 46% of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 4% since 2020, reaching 1,370,165 in 2024.

At 6.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
8,722
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
6.6
Top 23% nationally
Year over year
−10%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
48.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320241370k1317k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 90°F and January a low of 29°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 45.5 inches, including 8.8 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station RICHMOND INTL AP, 9.3 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation45.5"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall8.8"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low29°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high90°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing41°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

75 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, drought and hurricane.

EarthquakeElevated
HurricaneModerate
DroughtElevated

Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, inland flooding, ice storm, lightning, winter weather, tornado, strong wind, hail, landslide, coastal flooding, wildfire, cold wave, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 9 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Richmond IntlRIC9 mi9,003 ft
Newport News/Williamsburg IntlPHF56 mi8,003 ft
Washington Dulles IntlIAD106 mi11,500 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
72
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

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