Charlottesville-area planning district has grown 5.9 percent since 2020 Census

In the five years since the most recent United States Census, the six localities that make up the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission have grown a collective 5.9 percent.

That’s according to estimates published this week by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.

“These population estimates, prepared annually by the Cooper Center, serve as the official figures for the Commonwealth of Virginia,” reads an explanation on their website. “State and local government agencies use them for revenue sharing, funding allocations, planning, and budgeting.”

The TJPDC has gone from a population of 259,120 on April 1, 2020 to an estimate of 274,339.

Louisa County has experienced 12.8 percent growth with a population estimate of 42,218 compared to a Census county of 37,596. This is the fourth highest growth rate in Virginia.

The second-highest growth rate is Greene County with a population increase of 7.5 percent. The estimate for 2025 is 22,103, up from 20,552 in 2020.

Albemarle County experienced the largest influx of new people with 7,084 new residents since April 2020. The percentage change is 6.3 percent and the estimate is 119,479.

Fluvanna County’s population increased 5.5 percent, going from 27,249 to an estimate of 28,738.

Nelson County continues to experience population decline going from a 2020 Census count of 14,775 to a 2025 estimate of 14,677.

In previous years, the Weldon Cooper Center has gone with an independent estimate for the 2020 Census due to the count happening after University of Virginia students were sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For 2025, Weldon Cooper appears to be using the 2020 Census count of 46,552 and is estimating an increase of 0.8 percent to 46,923.

Overall, the population of Virginia increased to 8.8 million, an increase of about 248,000 residents since the Census. That is a rate of 0.5 percent, slightly below the national rate of 0.6 percent.

“Virginia remains the 12th most populous state and ranked 11th nationally in numeric population growth during this period,” the website continues.

The fastest growing planning district is the George Washington Regional Commission centered around Fredericksburg with 7.8 percent population growth

The Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission experienced the largest population decline with a 4.1 percent decrease. This group represents Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, and Tazewell Counties.

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