State bird
Northern cardinal
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeRichmond ·
U.S. States / South · Card 046
Virginia
The Old Dominion
Shenandoah National Park follows the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Virginia and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights Virginia.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Richmond
- Postal abbreviation
- VA
- Population
- 8,880,107July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 110,787 km²42,775 square miles · land and water
- Constitution ratified
- June 25, 1788One of the original thirteen states
- Region
- South
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State songs
Our Great Virginia (traditional); Sweet Virginia Breeze (popular)
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia.
02
Landscape & places
Shenandoah National Park follows the Blue Ridge Mountains. Forested slopes, rocky summits and waterfalls provide different views of the same mountain landscape, with changes in elevation affecting both habitat and weather.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 102,279 km² of land and 8,508 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
The state seal on a blue field, showing Virtue standing over a fallen figure.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Shenandoah
How the landscape works
Shenandoah follows the Blue Ridge Mountains, with forests, summits, and waterfalls. Elevation changes influence habitat and weather along the route. A mountain landscape is not a uniform band of identical conditions. Roads and viewpoints help visitors see it, but they also represent choices about how people gain access to the terrain.
History
What changed with Virginia’s first elected assembly
Early Jamestown was governed by the Virginia Company and officials it appointed. Settlers had little direct role in making the rules under which they lived. Reforms in 1618 created a new arrangement that included elected representatives from the settlements.
In 1619, the assembly met at Jamestown with the governor and council. This was an important precedent for representative government in English America, but representation was limited and remained under colonial authority. It was not modern democracy or equal political participation. Virginia’s later institutions developed from this restricted beginning as well as from conflicts over who could exercise power.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
Virginia’s 1619 assembly was an early representative institution, but representation was limited. It should not be confused with a modern system of equal voting rights. The assembly is important to the history of self-government while also revealing who was excluded from political power. Both parts belong in the explanation.
Key dates
-
Constitution ratified · One of the original thirteen states
-
Kentucky became a separate state
-
West Virginia became a separate state
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe provides a present-day perspective from Virginia. The first colonial assembly did not mark the beginning of government or community in a region that already contained Native political institutions.
Continue with Pamunkey Indian Tribe. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
Virginia and District of Columbia
| Measure | Virginia | District of Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 8,880,107 | 693,645 |
| Land area (km²) | 102,279 | 158 |
| People per km² of land | 86.8 | 4,390.2 |
District of Columbia has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore District of Columbia.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, professional and business services was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included government and government enterprises, real estate and rental and leasing, and educational services, health care, and social assistance.
Total economic output was $798.4 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Professional and business services: 19.0%
- Government and government enterprises: 16.6%
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 14.0%
- Educational services, health care, and social assistance: 7.6%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people8.882025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 8,637,303 |
| 2021 | 8,660,007 |
| 2022 | 8,681,038 |
| 2023 | 8,732,034 |
| 2024 | 8,819,642 |
| 2025 | 8,880,107 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars623.952025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 475,699.3 |
| 2011 | 479,571.4 |
| 2012 | 483,041.4 |
| 2013 | 488,741.3 |
| 2014 | 488,918.6 |
| 2015 | 498,943.6 |
| 2016 | 505,107.7 |
| 2017 | 515,167.2 |
| 2018 | 527,767.5 |
| 2019 | 541,028.0 |
| 2020 | 535,224.4 |
| 2021 | 565,790.7 |
| 2022 | 579,301.8 |
| 2023 | 599,261.0 |
| 2024 | 613,708.7 |
| 2025 | 623,948.9 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
Virginia’s population increased by about 2.8% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 132024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 112020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about Virginia
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.