| Charlottesville metropolitan area | |
| Other Name: | Charlottesville, Virginia Metropolitan Area |
| Settlement Type: | Metropolitan Statistical Area |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Virginia |
| Subdivision Type2: | Principal city |
| Subdivision Name2: | Charlottesville |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -8 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
The Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia as defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).The combined population is: 201,559 (2010 census), 218,615 (2018 estimate), and 235,232 (2019 estimate).
Note: Since a constitutional change in 1871, all cities in the state are independent cities. The OMB considers these independent cities to be county-equivalents for the purpose of defining MSAs in Virginia.
There are five counties and one independent city that contribute to the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area.[1]
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 174,021 people, 67,575 households, and 42,840 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 80.77% White, 14.07% African American, 0.16% Native American, 2.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population.
The median income for a household in the MSA was $42,166, and the median income for a family was $50,225. Males had a median income of $32,974 versus $26,579 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $21,574.As of the 2020 census, there were 238,348 people residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71% White, 14.2% African American, 1.6% Native American, 6.8% Asian, and 0.2% Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.4% of the population.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Others | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 54.1% 8,897 | 45.0% 7,404 | 0.9% 149 | |
| 1964 | 46.6% 10,023 | 52.9% 11,370 | 0.5% 98 | |
| 1968 | 48.4% 13.012 | 30.0% 8,030 | 21.7% 5,841 | |
| 1972 | 61.6% 19,222 | 36.7% 11,452 | 1.8% 551 | |
| 1976 | 49.9% 19,664 | 48.9% 18,892 | 2.2% 872 | |
| 1980 | 48.2% 21,504 | 42.4% 18,918 | 9.6% 4,213 | |
| 1984 | 59.3% 28,642 | 40.2% 19.142 | 0.5% 247 | |
| 1988 | 54.6% 28,117 | 44.2% 22,767 | 1.3% 653 | |
| 1992 | 41.4% 25,834 | 45.9% 28,644 | 12.7% 7,979 | |
| 1996 | 45.0% 27,115 | 48.0% 28,903 | 6.9% 4,178 | |
| 2000 | 48.7% 33,575 | 45.7% 32,129 | 6.4% 4,524 | |
| 2004 | 47.4% 39,928 | 51.5% 43,374 | 1.2% 909 | |
| 2008 | 39.6% 39,701 | 59.2% 59,247 | 1.2% 1,208 | |
| 2012 | 42.3% 47,904 | 56.0% 63,371 | 1.7% 1,908 | |
| 2016 | 36.8% 43,293 | 56.7% 66,747 | 6.8% 7,952 | |
| 2020 | 36.2% 48,275 | 61.8% 82,537 | 2.0% 2,643 |
The Charlottesville metropolitan area leans Democratic. Similar to other college towns, Charlottesville City is a Democratic stronghold. Albemarle County leans Democratic, paralleling the entire region, since it houses urban, suburban, exurban, and rural pockets. Fluvanna and Greene counties are Republican strongholds as they are composed of suburban, exurban, and rural areas, which vote more conservative than their urban counterparts. Although Buckingham and Nelson counties are almost entirely rural, they are the most moderate jurisdictions in the region, voting for the Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and the Republican nominee Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, respectively.
The entire region, apart from Greene County and a sliver of Albemarle County, which are located in Virginia's 7th congressional district, represented by Democrat Abigail Spanberger, is located in Virginia's 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Bob Good. The 7th district has an even Cook PVI score while the 5th district has a R+7 score.