News & Politics

Us Against Them


Northern Virginia* DC and Maryland suburbs^ Rest of Virginia
Population 2.3 million 3.1 million 5.5 million
Land area 2,200 square miles 1,700 square miles 37,300 square miles
Jurisdictions 11 5 123
Jurisdictions with average household income above $90,000 9 3 1
“Upper Crust” households+ 60,000 63,000 22,000
Per-capita income $55,60051 percent more than national average $52,10042 percent more than national average $33,3008 percent less than national average
Population below poverty level 113,000 242,000 616,000
State lottery sales $232 million $924 million $1.1 billion
Starbucks 106 139 96
Walmarts 12 10 77
Borders 16 17 5
Cracker Barrel restaurants 2 0 25
Fortune 500 companies 8 7 11
Megachurches 11 31 20
Percentage of population above age 24 with college degree 45 36 20
Percentage of residents born outside United States 20 16 3
Percentage of whites 74 54 73
Percentage of Hispanics 14 10 4
Percentage of African-Americans 12 37 23
Percentage of Asians 11 7 2

*Includes Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford counties as well as the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park.

^Includes DC and Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard, and Anne Arundel counties.

+Defined by Nielsen Claritas marketers

Key sources: Hartford Institute for Religion Research; Nielsen Claritas; US Census; Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Figures are the latest available.

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