There’s lots of interesting information in the just-released 2019 Fairfax County demographics report. See below for some highlights, including:
- Fairfax County’s population of 1,167,000 is the largest jurisdiction (by far) in Virginia, and also larger than six states and D.C.
- Fairfax County’s population is forecast to reach 1.4 million in 2045, with 531,100 housing units at that time, up from 421,100 housing units now.
- Fairfax County is *very* diverse — 61.1% White, 19.3% Asian and Pacific Islander, 9.7% Black, 9.7% “Other” and also 16.4% Hispanic (“Hispanic persons may be of any race”).
- Fairfax County has become *more* diverse since 2000, going from 69.9% to 61.1% White, from 13.1% to 19.3% Asian and Pacific Islander, from 11.0% to 16.4% Hispanic and from 8.6% to 9.7% Black.
- Note: It would be interesting to see the racial and ethnic data more granularly, for instance by magisterial district, and also how this correlates with exclusionary single-family zoning areas.
- The median family income of Fairfax County is $142,961, with the median household income at $122,227.
- The median market value of housing units varies widely within Fairfax County, from $452k in Lee District to $822k in Dranesville District, and from $419k in Bailey’s to $878k in McLean…
- Large swaths of Fairfax County contain no multifamily housing units, which presumably is related to exclusionary single-family zoning and other policies which discourage “missing middle”/multifamily housing types. Also, you can see from the maps that multifamily housing units are mostly clustered along major highways (e.g., I-66 and I-95) and Metro lines, the latter indicating areas of transit-oriented development.
- The population density within Fairfax County varies widely, with large swaths at 0-4.9 persons per square acre to areas along Metro and major highways as high as 20-126 persons per square acre.
- There’s a ton more information in this report, but those are just a few top-level highlights. Check it out if you’re into wonking out on demographic!
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