English Population in Virginia by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the English population in Virginia stands at 989,002. Every county reports a non-zero population, with Fairfax County leading at 112,733, followed by Virginia Beach city (51,845) and Loudoun County (42,358). The combined total across counties is slightly lower than the statewide figure - a gap that may reflect rounding, data lag, or unassigned residents in certain census tracts. This analysis ranks all counties in Virginia by their English population, offering a localized perspective on how the community is distributed across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest English population in Virginia

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  • 1
    Fairfax County
    English population in Fairfax County is 112,733
    9.85% of Fairfax County population is English
  • 2
    Virginia Beach city
    English population in Virginia Beach city is 51,845
    11.34% of Virginia Beach city population is English
  • 3
    Loudoun County
    English population in Loudoun County is 42,358
    9.92% of Loudoun County population is English
  • 4
    Prince William County
    English population in Prince William County is 35,177
    7.26% of Prince William County population is English
  • 5
    Chesapeake city
    English population in Chesapeake city is 27,863
    11.09% of Chesapeake city population is English

Overview of English population in Virginia

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show Virginia contains 989,002 English residents (11.4% of 8.7 million total state population), positioning the state at the 81st percentile nationally among U.S. states for English population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Virginia's English population of 11.4% exceeds the national average of 9.1% by a factor of 1.3.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Virginia hosts 989,002 English residents, representing 3.3% of the nation's total English population of 30.1 million, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates Virginia's density of 25 English Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 8.5 per square mile by more than double, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for English demographic communities.
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112 Counties in Virginia Ranked by English Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show English populations across every county in Virginia, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Fairfax County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Virginia ranked by English population count
Rank by English Population
County
English Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Virginia English Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Fairfax County 112,733 9.85% 11.40%
2 Virginia Beach city 51,845 11.34% 5.24%
3 Loudoun County 42,358 9.92% 4.28%
4 Prince William County 35,177 7.26% 3.56%
5 Chesapeake city 27,863 11.09% 2.82%
6 Richmond city 22,507 9.89% 2.28%
7 Hanover County 20,757 18.59% 2.10%
8 17,726 15.59% 1.79%
9 17,473 7.43% 1.77%
10 17,246 11.00% 1.74%
11 16,930 17.49% 1.71%
12 13,261 7.18% 1.34%
13 12,623 13.52% 1.28%
14 12,466 12.57% 1.26%
15 12,365 16.72% 1.25%
16 11,674 15.02% 1.18%
17 10,828 10.97% 1.09%
18 10,456 7.61% 1.06%
19 9,814 11.58% 0.99%
20 9,410 9.74% 0.95%
21 9,268 11.69% 0.94%
22 8,597 15.64% 0.87%
23 8,563 14.24% 0.87%
24 7,967 14.78% 0.81%
25 7,840 14.15% 0.79%
26 7,154 13.36% 0.72%
27 7,019 7.21% 0.71%
28 6,899 15.04% 0.70%
29 6,336 16.24% 0.64%
30 6,320 16.02% 0.64%
31 6,016 11.94% 0.61%
32 5,511 14.81% 0.56%
33 5,222 15.42% 0.53%
34 5,105 15.12% 0.52%
35 5,079 17.42% 0.51%
36 4,802 11.68% 0.49%
37 4,775 10.70% 0.48%
38 4,634 9.00% 0.47%
39 4,408 12.34% 0.45%
40 4,371 10.95% 0.44%
41 4,190 16.26% 0.42%
42 3,993 15.67% 0.40%
43 3,937 17.86% 0.40%
44 3,787 12.44% 0.38%
45 3,758 12.70% 0.38%
46 3,647 13.14% 0.37%
47 3,587 11.37% 0.36%
48 3,542 11.29% 0.36%
49 3,537 8.37% 0.36%
50 3,438 16.49% 0.35%
51 3,379 12.03% 0.34%
52 3,324 11.78% 0.34%
53 3,263 11.50% 0.33%
54 3,130 11.19% 0.32%
55 3,069 12.92% 0.31%
56 2,953 6.92% 0.30%
57 2,934 8.80% 0.30%
58 2,898 15.90% 0.29%
59 2,894 12.82% 0.29%
60 2,814 11.50% 0.28%
61 2,791 12.36% 0.28%
62 2,756 12.82% 0.28%
63 2,637 14.48% 0.27%
64 2,626 20.91% 0.27%
65 2,619 14.56% 0.26%
66 2,602 7.70% 0.26%
66 2,602 10.15% 0.26%
67 2,492 16.01% 0.25%
68 2,388 14.03% 0.24%
69 2,339 16.03% 0.24%
70 2,317 12.40% 0.23%
71 2,311 13.13% 0.23%
72 2,219 15.93% 0.22%
73 2,214 14.45% 0.22%
74 2,207 13.37% 0.22%
75 2,202 13.02% 0.22%
76 2,178 20.22% 0.22%
77 2,169 13.21% 0.22%
78 2,139 17.70% 0.22%
79 2,078 9.06% 0.21%
80 1,999 13.27% 0.20%
81 1,974 18.15% 0.20%
82 1,878 12.07% 0.19%
83 1,738 10.46% 0.18%
84 1,723 7.86% 0.17%
85 1,563 14.74% 0.16%
86 1,440 7.25% 0.15%
87 1,425 19.23% 0.14%
88 1,416 10.17% 0.14%
89 1,389 9.28% 0.14%
90 1,368 15.12% 0.14%
91 1,287 3.86% 0.13%
92 1,240 12.72% 0.13%
93 1,162 8.55% 0.12%
94 1,133 16.92% 0.11%
95 1,090 6.99% 0.11%
96 1,044 9.10% 0.11%
97 1,022 8.44% 0.10%
98 943 8.74% 0.10%
99 942 12.70% 0.10%
100 911 5.74% 0.09%
101 859 10.46% 0.09%
102 846 12.91% 0.09%
103 766 11.59% 0.08%
104 749 4.43% 0.08%
105 653 5.45% 0.07%
106 587 16.22% 0.06%
107 553 4.89% 0.06%
108 511 22.56% 0.05%
109 493 10.10% 0.05%
110 474 8.36% 0.05%
111 450 7.99% 0.05%
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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 county in Virginia by their English population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines English 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 English 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 English alone, while others identify as English along with another race (such as English and German).
  • We’ve used the “English alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the English population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as English alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as English .
  2. % of Total Virginia English Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. English 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 English 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.
  • County that don’t have any reported English 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 English populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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