Foreign Born and Immigrant Population of Northern Virginia Overview
The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is one of the most diverse in the country when taking into consideration the racial, ethnic, and foreign born (immigrant) population make-up. Northern Virginia contains a sizable amount of the metropolitan area's diverse population. The foreign born or immigrant population is transforming the region. Note, the terms foreign born and immigrant are used interchangeably throughout the NOVA Region Dashboard.
Immigration has been driving demographic transformations in the region, including:
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School enrollment changes
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Sizable increases in the number of Hispanics and Asians
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Population growth
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Employment growth
About the Data and Proper Data Interpretation
Foreign born population data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Census and the American Community Survey (ACS). It is important to note that any data sourced from the ACS is based on a small sample of the population of a place. Areas with smaller populations, such as the cities of Northern Virginia, may have a larger margin of error in the data due to the survey sample size being small. This is less of an issue the larger the population. The margin of error is shown in the popup that is displayed when hovering over a bar in the bar charts. If there is a large increase or decrease in the estimate from one time period to the next, and the margin of error is large and overlaps other periods, then the large change between time periods is likely due to statistical sampling error and is not considered statistically significant. In addition to the margin of error, the accuracy of the American Community Survey data for an area can be gaged by evaluating the trend. If the data has a clear trend then the data from one period to the next can be deemed reliable.
Foreign Born Population - Current
Foreign Born Population Share - Current
Five-Year Estimates
All jurisdictions in the United States are included in the five-year American Community Survey estimates.
The share of the population that is foreign born, for all jurisdictions in Northern Virginia, is displayed in this graph. Northern Virginia's foreign born population share is 28.0%. All of Northern Virginia jurisdiction's have a foreign born population share that is greater than the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States. Out of all 3,144 jurisdictions in the USA, all Northern Virginia jurisdictions are ranked #147 or higher. The region's highest ranked are Manassas Park City (7th), Manassas City (21st), Fairfax County (23rd), and Fairfax City (26th), each of which have a greater foreign born population share than New York County, New York (Manhattan) (28.1% and 37th) and Orange County, California (29.9% at 29th).
Foreign Born Population Share - Current
One-Year Estimates
Those jurisdictions with a population of 65,000 or more are included in the one-year American Community Survey estimates.
The share of the population that is foreign born for the five largest jurisdictions in Northern Virginia are shown in this graph. The Northern Virginia foreign born figures for the one-year estimates are representative of the five largest jurisdictions in Northern Virginia only. The regional foreign born population share is 28.5%. This is greater than New York County, New York (Manhattan) (27.9%), and only 3.1 percentage points less than Orange County, California (31.6%). All of Northern Virginia's five largest jurisdictions have a foreign born population share that is significantly greater than the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States. Out of the 850 jurisdictions with a population of 65,000 or more in the USA, all of Northern Virginia's large jurisdictions are ranked in the top fifty. The Counties of Fairfax and Loudoun have a share that is greater than Manhattan.
Foreign Born Population - Historic Compared to Current
Foreign Born Population Share - Historic Compared to Current
Five-Year Estimates
Immigration has been driving many of the major demographic shifts in the region. Northern Virginia's population was 21.4% foreign born in 2000 and has risen to 28.0% in the 2019-2023 period. Similar to today, back in 2000 all Northern Virginia jurisdictions had a foreign born population share that was greater than the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States. The greatest transformations have occurred in the four outer-core jurisdictions of Loudoun, Manassas City, Manassas Park, and Prince William. The outer-core of the region accounts for a majority of the region's overall population growth, as indicated in the population growth charts.
Foreign Born Population Share - Historic Compared to Current
One-Year Estimates
The foreign born population trend, for the regions large jurisdictions (population of 65,000 or more), is shown in the following graphs. The legal status of non-citizens is unknown and not collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in any of its data sets.
Key Facts:
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Northern Virginia, as defined for this analysis using the region's five largest jurisdictions, experienced an increase in the foreign born population and the share from 2011 to 2017. The foreign born population share increased from 25.5% to 28.6% respectively. From 2017 to 2021 it trended down, reaching a low of 27.2% in 2021. The decline from 2017 to 2021 was attributable to the 2017 to 2021 presidential administration's reforms to immigration policy, as well as the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic led to a drop in the region's population between 2020 and 2021 because of out-migration of residents, elevated death rates, and slowing immigration As the pandemic eased in 2022 and the 2021 to 2025 presidential administration implemented less restrictive immigration policies, both national and regional immigration increased. These two factors led to increased national and regional immigration. This boosted the foreign-born population and its share.
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The citizenship status chart provides additional insights into the decline in the overall foreign-born population from 2017 to 2021 and the resurgence through 2024. The decline from 2017 to 2021 was largely attributable to the non-citizen populations migrating out of the area in greater amounts than naturalized citizens moving into the area. The resurgence is attributed to the non-citizen population increasing. The naturalized citizen population of the region, on the other hand, remained steady from 2022 to 2024.
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Loudoun and Prince William Counties, since 2010, have had significant increases in their foreign born population and trended upward in the share of the total population that is foreign born.
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Fairfax County's foreign born population share has been the largest in the region since 2010. It trended up from 2010 to 2017, reaching a high of 32.1% in 2017. From 2017 to 2021 it trended down, reaching its lowest point in that period at 29.9% in 2021. It then trended up. By 2024 the share had yet to reach the 2017 level. In 2024 it was 30.9%.