Demographics

Million-dollar farms (MDFs) are in comparatively good health and have enabled Virginia—and the U.S. more broadly—to produce more with fewer farms. Meanwhile, the small farms that form the basis of the Commonwealth’s long tradition of agriculture are struggling in an increasingly consolidated agricultural landscape.

Fifty-three percent of immigrants in this country are naturalized citizens and eligible to vote. It is difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish naturalized citizens from noncitizens by appearance, surnames, or facility with English alone, as the population of eligible voters also includes native-born offspring of previous generations of immigrants.

So far the 2020s have turned out very differently than any recent decade. The 2023 county population estimates released by the Census Bureau this spring showed that last year migration rose in small towns and rural counties, making them the top destination within the U.S. The 2023 age estimates, which the Census Bureau released over the summer, show that most of the growth that small towns and rural areas have experienced since 2020 is being driven by growth in their population of 25- to 44– year-olds.