Official Federal Data
Nelson County, Virginia
FIPS 51125 · Charlottesville, VA · Population 14,732
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$72,589 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.2% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$700M ▲
GDP
36.3% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 14,732 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$72,589 ▲
Per Capita
$45,844 ▲
Mean Household
$104,122 ▲
Poverty Rate
12.5% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Nelson County$72,589
Virginia$93,170
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 17.4%
18-34 · 16.4%
35-54 · 20.4%
55-64 · 16.3%
65+ · 29.6%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
89.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +0.1 pts
36.3%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +0.6 pts
13.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 0.6 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
14,732
Population
6,771
Labor Force
Employed
6,548
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.2% ▲ +0.5 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min above national avg
30.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
19.1%
Key Takeaways
- Aging population: Median age of 51 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Accommodation and Food Services employs 645 workers (24.7% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $35,213.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $700M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $83,298 while Retail Trade averages $27,220, a 3.1x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
982
Cluster Employment
1.70x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
51.17x 429
Forestry and Logging
39.36x 46
Crop Production
9.85x 133
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
5.26x 192
2.74x 16
Private Households
2.48x 13
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
2.47x 66
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
2.07x 20
1.70x 982
Repair and Maintenance
1.66x 62
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing concentrates at 51.17x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$321,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$946 ▲
Rent/Mo
79.7% ▲
Owner-Occ
36.3% ▼
Vacancy
4.4x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,421/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,602/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,824/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,218/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,731/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,815/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.4x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 79.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 36.3% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 2 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,815/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
7,809 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min above national avg
30.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
19.1%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
36.3% ▲
HS Diploma+
89.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
72,277/yr
25,513/yr
10,335/yr
10,020/yr
9,615/yr
9,087/yr
7,707/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
30.7%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
41.7%
Service
17.9%
Sales & Office
14.9%
Construction / Maint.
13.3%
Production / Transport
12.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 6,548 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 30.7% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Low participation: 55.6% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 45,868 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Nelson County shows strong potential for beverage and tobacco product manufacturing attraction, with a 51.17x concentration and 429 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 30.7% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across beverage and tobacco product manufacturing, forestry and logging, and crop production creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Nelson County, Virginia, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Nelson County, Virginia?
14,732 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Nelson County, Virginia?
$72,589 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Nelson County, Virginia?
3.2% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Nelson County, Virginia?
$700M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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