# Charlottesville, Virginia metropolitan area

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 221,524 (2020 census), not including Buckingham County, which was removed from the MSA in the 2020 census cycle.

## MSA components

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 four counties and one independent city that contribute to the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
* Counties
** Albemarle
** Fluvanna
** Greene
** Nelson
* Independent Cities
** Charlottesville

## Communities
### Places with more than 10,000 inhabitants

* Charlottesville (Principal city)
* Lake Monticello (CDP)

### Places with 1,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

* Crozet (CDP)
* Hollymead (CDP)
* Pantops (CDP)
* Piney Mountain (CDP)
* Rio (CDP)
* Rivanna (CDP)
* Twin Lakes (CDP)
* University of Virginia (CDP)

### Places with less than 1,000 inhabitants

* Columbia (CDP)
* Lovingston (CDP)
* Palmyra (CDP)
* Scottsville (incorporated town in Albemarle County)
* Stanardsville (incorporated town in Greene County)

### Unincorporated places

| Adial Afton Allens Creek Amicus Arrington Avon Barboursville (partial) Barnes Beech Grove Bellair Bryant Buffalo Springs Burtonville Caskie Colleen Dawsonville Durrett Town Dyke Earlysville Elma | Esmont Faber Five Forks Four Forks Free Union Freshwater Geer Gladstone Gordon Crossing Greenfield Greenway Gullysville Haneytown Hendersons Store Ivy Jonesboro Keene Keswick Kingswood | Lakeview Heights Lanes Ford Lawthorne Mill Lodebar Lovingston Lowesville Lydia Martins Store Massies Mill McMullen Midway Mills Montebello Nash Nellysford Newtown Norwood Oak Ridge Old Myndus Onan Ottoway | Palmyra Piedmont Pirkey Poplar Flats Quinque Ramsey Red Apple Orchard Rockfish Roseland Roses Mill Ruckersville Saint George Schuyler Shady Grove Shady Lane Shipman Simmons Gap Swannanoa | Twin Poplars Tye River Tyro Upper Pocosin Warminster White Rock Williams Fork Wingina Wintergreen Woods Mill |

## Demographics

As of the census 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 221,524 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.

## Politics

Presidential election results :
| 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 Nelson County is almost entirely rural, it is the most moderate jurisdiction 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.