Afghan Population in Virginia by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Afghan population in Virginia totals 23,272, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include Alexandria (1,984), followed by Fredericksburg (793) and Roanoke (638), each hosting visible segments of the community. While these urban centers anchor much of the population, the statewide total points to a broader presence in unincorporated areas and smaller towns beyond major city boundaries. The analysis below explores how Afghan residents are distributed across Virginia''s urban and rural landscape.

Top 5 cities with the largest Afghan population in Virginia

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  • 1
    Alexandria
    Afghan population in Alexandria is 1,984
    1.27% of Alexandria population is Afghan
  • 2
    Fredericksburg
    Afghan population in Fredericksburg is 793
    2.79% of Fredericksburg population is Afghan
  • 3
    Roanoke
    Afghan population in Roanoke is 638
    0.65% of Roanoke population is Afghan
  • 4
    Charlottesville
    Afghan population in Charlottesville is 319
    0.70% of Charlottesville population is Afghan
  • 5
    Manassas
    Afghan population in Manassas is 265
    0.62% of Manassas population is Afghan

Overview of Afghan population in Virginia

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Virginia contains 23,272 Afghan residents (0.27% of 8.7 million total state population), positioning the state at the 97th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Afghan population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Virginia's Afghan population of 0.27% exceeds the national average of 0.05% by a factor of 5.4.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Virginia's 23,272 Afghan residents constitute 14% of the nation's total Afghan population of 166,723, placing the state among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 14% of all American Afghan Americans residing within state boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Virginia maintains 0.59 Afghan Americans per square mile, representing twelve and a half times the national average of 0.047 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations nationally.
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166 Cities in Virginia Ranked by Afghan Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Afghan population in Virginia present in Alexandria, Fredericksburg, and Roanoke, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Virginia ranked by Afghan population count
Rank by Afghan Population
City
Afghan Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Virginia Afghan Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Alexandria 1,984 1.27% 8.53%
2 Fredericksburg 793 2.79% 3.41%
3 Roanoke 638 0.65% 2.74%
4 Charlottesville 319 0.70% 1.37%
5 Manassas 265 0.62% 1.14%
6 Richmond 246 0.11% 1.06%
7 Norfolk 148 0.06% 0.64%
8 124 0.25% 0.53%
9 120 0.03% 0.52%
10 116 1.98% 0.50%
11 110 0.54% 0.47%
11 110 0.81% 0.47%
12 90 0.62% 0.39%
13 82 0.33% 0.35%
14 77 0.47% 0.33%
15 76 0.31% 0.33%
16 69 0.03% 0.30%
17 66 0.39% 0.28%
18 36 0.47% 0.15%
18 36 0.02% 0.15%
19 29 0.13% 0.12%
20 27 1.70% 0.12%
21 17 0.03% 0.07%
22 12 0.01% 0.05%
23 11 0.04% 0.05%
24 7 0.26% 0.03%
25 4 0.01% 0.02%
25 4 0.01% 0.02%
26 1 0.00% 0.00%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Virginia by their Afghan population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Afghan population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Afghan ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Afghan alone, while others identify as Afghan along with another race (such as Afghan and German).
  • We’ve used the “Afghan alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Afghan population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Afghan alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Afghan .
  2. % of Total Virginia Afghan Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Afghan population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Afghan populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Afghan population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Afghan populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.