Virginia's fastest-growing counties, mapped

By the numbers: New Kent County topped Virginia's growth (adding 14.4% people in 2019-2023 compared to 2014-2018), followed by Goochland, which took the No. 2 spot for the fastest-growing county in the state (+13.9%), according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019-2023 five-year American Community Survey.

• That translates into just over 3,000 people who moved into New Kent in that period and just over 3,100 into Goochland.

Zoom in: In the metro area, Chesterfield came in highest on the statewide list, ranking at No. 10 for population growth, adding just over 32,000 new residents to the county in that four-year period, or +9.5%.

• Hanover ranked at No. 17, with 6.9% growth.
• Henrico, No. 52 (+2.7%)
• Richmond city, No. 62 (+1.7%)

Of note: Around 50 localities in Virginia, nearly all in Southwest Virginia, lost population between 2019 and 2023.

Zoom out: Three Texas counties — Kaufman County (+35.2% more people in 2019-2023 compared to 2014-2018), Comal County (+29.2%) and Hays County (+25.6%) — are the country's fastest-growing counties with more than 100,000 residents.

• Robeson County, North Carolina (-12.4%); Hinds County, Mississippi (-8%) and Butte County, California (-7.8%) saw the biggest decreases among large counties.

Between the lines: Although Americans sometimes relocate domestically in search of better jobs, lower costs and so on, international migration is the main driver behind population growth at the national level.

• Migration "accounted for 84% of the nation's 3.3 million increase in population between 2023 and 2024," the Census Bureau said in a recent write-up of separate data.
• "This reflects a continued trend of rising international migration, with a net increase of 1.7 million in 2022 and 2.3 million in 2023."

What's next: Population trends could be notably affected by President-elect Trump's plan to deport millions of people.