Whitest cities in Virginia research summary. We analyzed Virginia’s most recent Census data to determine the whitest cities in Virginia based on the percentage of White residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The whitest city in Virginia is Richlands based on the most recent Census data.
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Richlands is 97.58% White.
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The least White city in Virginia is Petersburg.
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Petersburg is 14.37% White.
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Virginia is 58.4% White.
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Virginia is the 34th Whitest state in the United States.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Today, we are looking at the whitest places in Virginia. We won’t measure the number of Whole Foods or Pottery Barns per capita. Instead, we’ll focus on the Census data’s report of race by place in Virginia. In particular, we ranked each place in Virginia by the percentage of white people.
So where are the whitest cities you can live in Virginia?
After analyzing cities with populations greater than 5,000, we came up with this list as the whitest cities in Virginia for 2026.
Here are the 10 whites places in Virginia for 2026:
What is the whitest city in Virginia for 2026? According to the most recent census data Richlands ranks as the whitest. If you’re wondering, Petersburg is the least white city of all those we measured.
Read on below to see where your hometown ranked and why. Or check out the whitest states in America and the most diverse states in America.
For more Virginia reading, check out:
The 10 Whitest Cities In Virginia For 2026
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Population: 5,171
% White: 97.58%
More on Richlands: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 8,330
% White: 90.66%
More on Abingdon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 8,056
% White: 90.42%
More on Vinton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 8,202
% White: 89.12%
More on Wytheville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 12,639
% White: 87.32%
More on Poquoson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 8,893
% White: 85.07%
More on Pulaski: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 6,593
% White: 84.68%
More on Buena Vista: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,214
% White: 84.6%
More on Strasburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 16,849
% White: 84.46%
More on Bristol: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 5,670
% White: 83.81%
More on Marion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How we determined the whitest places in Virginia for 2026
To rank the whitest places in Virginia, we used Saturday Night Science to look at Census demographic data.
We had to look at the number of white people living in each city in Virginia on a per capita basis. In other words, the percentage of white people living in each city in Virginia.
We looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as White alone.
We limited our analysis to town with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 59 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are White. The percentages ranked from 97.6% to 14.4%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of White population, with a higher score being more White than a lower score. Richlands took the distinction of being the most White, while Petersburg was the least White city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report represents our eleventh time ranking the whitest cities in Virginia.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Virginia ranked by population of White residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
Summary: White Populations Across Virginia
We measured the locations with the highest percentage of white people in Virginia. According to the most recent data, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in Virginia.
The most White cities in Virginia are Richlands, Abingdon, Vinton, Wytheville, Poquoson, Pulaski, Buena Vista, Strasburg, Bristol, and Marion.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least White places in Virginia:
- Petersburg
- Emporia
- Manassas Park
For more Virginia reading, check out:
- Cheapest Places To Live In Virginia
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Virginia
- Worst Cities In Virginia For 2017
White Population By City In Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | White Population | % White |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richlands | 5,171 | 5,046 | 97.58% |
| 2 | Abingdon | 8,330 | 7,552 | 90.66% |
| 3 | Vinton | 8,056 | 7,284 | 90.42% |
| 4 | Wytheville | 8,202 | 7,310 | 89.12% |
| 5 | Poquoson | 12,639 | 11,037 | 87.32% |
| 6 | Pulaski | 8,893 | 7,565 | 85.07% |
| 7 | Buena Vista | 6,593 | 5,583 | 84.68% |
| 8 | Strasburg | 7,214 | 6,103 | 84.6% |
| 9 | Bristol | 16,849 | 14,230 | 84.46% |
| 10 | Marion | 5,670 | 4,752 | 83.81% |
| 11 | Christiansburg | 22,720 | 18,769 | 82.61% |
| 12 | Salem | 25,618 | 20,895 | 81.56% |
| 13 | Bridgewater | 6,708 | 5,465 | 81.47% |
| 14 | Radford | 16,726 | 13,535 | 80.92% |
| 15 | Covington | 5,680 | 4,495 | 79.14% |
| 16 | Staunton | 25,948 | 20,330 | 78.35% |
| 17 | Lexington | 7,525 | 5,887 | 78.23% |
| 18 | Galax | 6,726 | 5,165 | 76.79% |
| 19 | Big Stone Gap | 5,162 | 3,950 | 76.52% |
| 20 | Blacksburg | 45,446 | 34,069 | 74.97% |
| 21 | Smithfield | 8,834 | 6,574 | 74.42% |
| 22 | Purcellville | 8,973 | 6,666 | 74.29% |
| 23 | Front Royal | 15,296 | 11,167 | 73.01% |
| 24 | Waynesboro | 22,841 | 16,351 | 71.59% |
| 25 | Warrenton | 10,176 | 7,205 | 70.8% |
| 26 | Falls Church | 14,710 | 10,005 | 68.01% |
| 27 | Williamsburg | 15,798 | 10,618 | 67.21% |
| 28 | Colonial Heights | 18,352 | 11,961 | 65.18% |
| 29 | Vienna | 16,412 | 10,623 | 64.73% |
| 30 | Farmville | 7,774 | 5,016 | 64.52% |
| 31 | Charlottesville | 45,437 | 29,163 | 64.18% |
| 32 | Ashland | 7,772 | 4,988 | 64.18% |
| 33 | Winchester | 27,913 | 17,126 | 61.35% |
| 34 | Harrisonburg | 51,392 | 31,246 | 60.8% |
| 35 | Lynchburg | 79,497 | 47,601 | 59.88% |
| 36 | Virginia Beach | 456,349 | 268,555 | 58.85% |
| 37 | Roanoke | 98,355 | 54,346 | 55.25% |
| 38 | Fredericksburg | 28,873 | 15,787 | 54.68% |
| 39 | Leesburg | 49,171 | 26,613 | 54.12% |
| 40 | Chesapeake | 252,583 | 135,855 | 53.79% |
| 41 | Fairfax | 25,026 | 12,800 | 51.15% |
| 42 | Alexandria | 156,976 | 77,106 | 49.12% |
| 43 | Culpeper | 20,794 | 10,016 | 48.17% |
| 44 | Suffolk | 98,796 | 45,224 | 45.78% |
| 45 | Martinsville | 13,658 | 5,689 | 41.65% |
| 46 | Richmond | 229,359 | 94,895 | 41.37% |
| 47 | South Boston | 7,853 | 3,246 | 41.33% |
| 48 | Norfolk | 233,596 | 96,188 | 41.18% |
| 49 | Hopewell | 22,959 | 9,335 | 40.66% |
| 50 | Newport News | 184,216 | 72,296 | 39.25% |
| 51 | Danville | 42,214 | 16,369 | 38.78% |
| 52 | Franklin | 8,250 | 3,114 | 37.75% |
| 53 | Herndon | 24,672 | 8,878 | 35.98% |
| 54 | Portsmouth | 97,190 | 34,405 | 35.4% |
| 55 | Hampton | 137,557 | 48,479 | 35.24% |
| 56 | Manassas | 42,976 | 14,320 | 33.32% |
| 57 | Manassas Park | 16,798 | 4,430 | 26.37% |
| 58 | Emporia | 5,547 | 1,017 | 18.33% |
| 59 | Petersburg | 33,537 | 4,818 | 14.37% |