Nelson County Demographics

A map of Nelson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	11,752	11,879	79.8%	80.4%
Black	1,623	1,526	11.0%	10.3%
Hispanic	705	663	4.8%	4.5%
Multiracial	475	523	3.2%	3.5%
Asian	132	67	0.9%	0.5%
Native American/Other	45	117	0.3%	0.8%

Nelson County, Virginia has an estimated population of 14,732, a less than 1% change from the 14,775 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 79.8% White, 11.0% Black, 4.8% Hispanic, 3.2% Multiracial, 0.9% Asian, and 0.3% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Nelson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Nelson has become slightly more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Virginia overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Nelson County, that probability was 34.0% in 2020 and 34.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Nelson County is ranked the 100th most populous county in Virginia, out of 133 counties. Nelson County was ranked the 100th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Nelson County's White Population

11,752 residents of Nelson County, or 79.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Nelson County is significantly higher than in Virginia overall, where 58.4% of the population is White. Nelson County ranks 45th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.1%. White residents' share of Nelson County's population has decreased from 80.4% to 79.8%.

Nelson County is more White than neighboring Waynesboro County (71.6% White), Amherst County (73.7% White), Albemarle County (73.4% White), Staunton County (78.3% White), and Buckingham County (60.9% White).

Nelson County's Black Population

1,623 residents of Nelson County, or 11.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Nelson County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 18.3% of the population is Black. Nelson County ranks 76th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Black population has grown by an estimated 6.4%. Black residents' share of Nelson County's population has increased from 10.3% to 11.0%.

Nelson County is more Black than neighboring Waynesboro County (10.9% Black), Albemarle County (9% Black), and Staunton County (10.3% Black). Nelson County is less Black than neighboring Amherst County (16.9% Black), and Buckingham County (30.6% Black).

Nelson County's Asian Population

132 residents of Nelson County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Nelson County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 6.9% of the population is Asian. Nelson County ranks 100th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 97.0%. Asian residents' share of Nelson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Nelson County is more Asian than neighboring Amherst County (0.7% Asian), and Buckingham County (0.4% Asian). Nelson County is less Asian than neighboring Waynesboro County (1.8% Asian), Albemarle County (5.8% Asian), and Staunton County (1.4% Asian).

Nelson County's Hispanic Population

705 residents of Nelson County, or 4.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Nelson County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 11% of the population is Hispanic. Nelson County ranks 63rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 6.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Nelson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.8%.

Nelson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Amherst County (2.9% Hispanic), and Buckingham County (2.6% Hispanic). Nelson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Waynesboro County (9.7% Hispanic), and Albemarle County (7.5% Hispanic).

Nelson County's Native American/Other Population

45 residents of Nelson County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Nelson County is comparable to the share in Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Nelson County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 61.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Nelson County's population has decreased from 0.8% to 0.3%.

Nelson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Waynesboro County (0.1% Native American/Other). Nelson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Amherst County (1.3% Native American/Other), Albemarle County (0.4% Native American/Other), Staunton County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Buckingham County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Nelson County's Multiracial Population

475 residents of Nelson County, or 3.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Nelson County is comparable to the share in Virginia overall, where 4.7% of the population is Multiracial. Nelson County ranks 83rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 9.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Nelson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.2%.

Nelson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Waynesboro County (5.9% Multiracial), Amherst County (4.4% Multiracial), Albemarle County (3.8% Multiracial), Staunton County (4.9% Multiracial), and Buckingham County (5.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.