ReachRVA
Reach RVA · Richmond, Virginia metro

If Richmond Were 100 People

The Richmond, Virginia metro is home to about 1.3 million neighbors across 17 cities and counties: Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, Goochland and more.

Shrink all 1,341,248 of us down to a village of 100, and the shape of our neighborhood comes into focus. Scroll to meet them.

Meet the 100Download the poster (PDF)

100 neighbors, one village. Scroll to meet them.

Faith in the metro

23 would be on the rolls of an evangelical church. 46 would be on no counted congregation's rolls.

  • 23Evangelical Protestant
  • 12Catholic
  • 10Mainline Protestant
  • 3Historically Black Protestant
  • 2Other Christian (LDS, Jehovah's Witnesses, Orthodox, other)
  • 4Other faiths (Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, other)
  • 46Not on the rolls of a counted congregation

Adherence counts members, children and regular participants reported by congregations. It is not self-identification. The U.S. Religion Census is known to undercount historically Black Protestant congregations, and the unclaimed group includes many believers whose churches did not report. The grey group is not "forty-six unbelievers."

Race and ethnicity

A neighborhood of many neighbors.

  • 55White
  • 28Black or African American
  • 8Hispanic or Latino
  • 4Asian
  • 4Two or more races
  • 1Another race / Native American / Pacific Islander

All residents. Not-Hispanic categories, except Hispanic or Latino of any race. ACS 2020-2024, B03002.

Age

Every generation lives here, and a new one arrives daily.

  • 21Under 18
  • 2318 to 34
  • 2635 to 54
  • 1355 to 64
  • 1765 and older

All residents. 51 women, 49 men. ACS 2020-2024, B01001.

Education (25 and older)

If the metro were 100 adults.

  • 8Did not finish high school
  • 24High school diploma or GED
  • 27Some college or associate degree
  • 41Bachelor's degree or higher

Adults 25 and older only. ACS 2020-2024, B15003.

Closer to home

The nations, and the lonely, are already here.

  • 9

    were born in another country (India, El Salvador and Mexico lead)

  • 12

    speak a language other than English at home (age 5 and up)

  • 30

    of 100 households have children under 18

  • 30

    of 100 households are one person living alone

  • 10

    live below the poverty line

  • 9

    of 100 homes have no internet subscription

Richmond metro, ACS 2020-2024 (B05002, B16004, B11005, B11001, B17001, B28002). Shares rounded to sum to 100.

By the numbers

The whole village, at a glance.

  • 1.34 millionpeople live in the Richmond metroACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate
  • 4,364square miles of land across 17 cities and counties
  • 41babies born every day14,886 births, July 2023-June 2024
  • 35neighbors die every day12,849 deaths, July 2023-June 2024
  • 1,382congregations counted by the U.S. Religion CensusUndercounts some churches; the Reach RVA map lists 2,332 places of worship (Overture Maps)
  • 13people segments in the Reach RVA strategy1 unengaged and unreached, 6 engaged but unreached, 5 needing multiplication, plus international students

The Reach RVA map shows 2,332 places of worship (Overture Maps); that counts map points, not congregations.

The harvest is not far away. It lives next door.

In the Richmond metro, about 46 in 100 neighbors are not on any counted congregation's rolls, and about 5 in 100 belong to people segments the strategy counts as unreached or engaged-but-unreached. They are not far off. They are in our schools, workplaces and apartment buildings. Churches that know their neighbors' languages and stories are the ones who will reach them.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2, ESV)

Get involvedPray for Richmond
  • 9of every 100 neighbors were born in another country. The nations are already here.
  • 41babies are born in the metro every day, and the population is up 4% since 2020.
  • 13people segments, each one a team, a prayer list and a first step. Not someday. Starting here.

Sources and caveats

Read these before you quote a number

  • Religion figures are congregational adherence from the U.S. Religion Census 2020 (members, children and regular participants reported by congregations). They are not self-identification, and they undercount some churches, especially historically Black Protestant and independent congregations. The grey group includes many believers whose churches did not report.
  • Geography is the Richmond, VA metro (Census CBSA 40060, 17 localities) unless a graphic says otherwise.
  • Census figures are ACS 5-year estimates for 2020-2024 and carry margins of error. Shares are rounded to whole numbers that sum to exactly 100, so small groups can be off by a point.
  • The "about 5 in 100" in unreached or engaged-but-unreached segments is a Reach RVA estimate built from segment ranges (roughly 4% to 6% of the metro), not a Joshua Project count.
  • The 1,382 congregations come from the Religion Census. The 2,332 places of worship on the Reach RVA map are Overture Maps points: they include duplicates and generic listings and are not a count of congregations.

Sources

  • U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024, Table B01003 Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B03002 (Hispanic or Latino Origin by Race) Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B01001 (Sex by Age) Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B15003 (Educational Attainment, 25+) Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B05002 (Place of Birth by Nativity and Citizenship); B05006 for origin countries Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B16004 (Age by Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English, 5+) Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B17001 (Poverty Status by Sex by Age) Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B11005 (Households by Presence of People Under 18) Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B11001 (Household Type) Link
  • ACS 5-Year 2020-2024, Table B28002 (Presence and Types of Internet Subscriptions in Household) Link
  • Association of Religion Data Archives, U.S. Religion Census 2020 (Religious Congregations and Membership Study), Metro Area Membership Report, Richmond VA Link
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024 county totals and components (co-est2024-alldata), summed over the 17 localities of the Richmond MSA Link
  • U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, counties (land area), summed over the 17 MSA localities; delineation: OMB/Census 2023 CBSA delineation file list1_2023 Link
  • Overture Maps Foundation places data (religious category), as mapped in the Reach RVA site (richmond-churches layer, 2,332 points) Link
  • Reach RVA strategy: 13 people segments (strategy-on-a-page; site/public/data/people-groups.json)
  • Reach RVA internal segment population estimates (site/public/data/people-groups.json); not Joshua Project figures

Want the print version? Download the one-page poster (PDF).