1

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

• Arlington County’s population was 189,453 in 2000.

• The County’s population increased by 18,517 persons from 1990 to 2000, an increase of 10.8percent.

• In 2000, among the Arlington County population that were of one race, 72.1 percent werewhite, 9.8 percent were black or African-American, 9.1 percent were Asian and Pacific Islander,0.4 percent were American Indian and Alaska Native, and 8.7 percent were some other race.

• Among the Arlington County population in 2000, 4.3 percent were multi-racial.

• Between 1990 and 2000, the County’s Hispanic population increased by 52.7 percent, resultingin a Hispanic population of 35,268 or 18.6 percent of the County population.

• Continuing the trend started in the 1980s, Arlington’s population grew faster than householdsin the 1990s; the number of households increased by 7,832 - or 10.0 percent - to 86,352 in2000.

• In 2000, Arlington County had a housing stock of 90,426, an increase of 6.6 percent over the1990 figure.

• The housing vacancy rate dropped from 7.5 percent in 1990 to 4.5 percent in 2000.

2

POPULATIONThe population of Arlington

County, Virginia was 189,453 in2000 according to the 2000 Censusof Population and Housing. TheCounty’s population increased by18,517 persons – or 10.8 percent –since 1990. This increase followeda 12.4 percent decline in populationin the 1970s and a 12.0 percentincrease in the 1980s. With thegrowth in the 1990s, the 2000population surpassed the previouspopulation peak of 174,824 in 1970.

Perhaps the most importantfactors contributing to thepopulation growth in the 1990swere a substantial increase inimmigration, a robust regionaleconomy, a slight increase in the

average household size, and therapid pace of residentialconstruction in the second half ofthe decade.

Race and Hispanic OriginArlington County is an

increasingly diverse community. In2000, Arl ington’s minoritypopulation – including its non-white,multi-racial, and Hispanicpopulations – made up 39.6 percentof the County’s total population.While the population as a wholeincreased by 10.8 percent over thelast decade, the non-whitepopulation increased by 46.9percent.

POPULATION (1900 - 2000)ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

2000 Pop

189,453

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

PO

PU

LA

TIO

N (

TH

OU

SA

ND

S)

For the 2000 Census, the U.S.Census Bureau changed the wayinformation on race was collected.Prior to the 2000 Census, ifsomeone was multi-racial, he or shecould only select one racial category.In 2000, multi-racial individuals hadthe option of choosing more thanone race. In 2000, 4.3 percent ofArlington County residents identifiedthemselves as multi-racial; however,the multi-racial population in 1990is unknown. Because of the changein racial categories, comparisons ofrace from the 1990 Census to the2000 Census should be madecautiously. In 2000, among residents whowere of one race, 130,601 (72.1%)were white, 17,705 (9.8%) wereblack or African-American, 16,470(9.1%) were Asian and PacificIslander, 662 (0.4%) were AmericanIndian and Alaska Native, and15,786 (8.7%) were of some otherrace. All of the population growth inthe past decade was among thenon-white population. The County’sblack or African-Americanpopulation actually declined slightlyin the 1990s (among peopleselecting only one racial categoryin 2000), while the population of allother minority groups increased.The Asian and Pacific Islanderpopulation increased by 42.5percent, the American Indian andAlaska Native population increasedby 23.3 percent, and the populationof other races increased by 57.5percent.

Arlington County, Virginia 2000 Census Highlights: Overview

3

Arlington County’s Asian popula-tion experienced the most growthof any single racial category in the1990s. Among persons whoreported only one race andreported being Asian, 20.4% wereAsian Indian, 17.0% were Chinese(excluding Taiwanese), 12.7%were Vietnamese, 12.5% wereFilipino, 9.6% were Korean, 6.2%were Japanese, and the remainder(21.6%) were other Asian groups.

Among persons of allraces, 35,268 – or 18.6 percent -were of Hispanic origin in 2000.The County’s Hispanic populationincreased from 23,089 persons in1990 to 35,268 persons in 2000,reflecting an increase of 52.7percent over the decade. Withthis increase, almost one in fiveArlington County residents wasHispanic in 2000. Almost one-third of the Hispanic population inArlington County was of CentralAmerican origin, particularlySalvadoran. Another one-fifth was

of South American origin. The changes in the racialcompositions and Hispanicpopulation in Arlington County werea result of significant increases inimmigration, as well as changes inthe distribution of races within theWashington DC metropolitan area.

AgeOf Arlington’s total population,

10,397 (5.5%) were under age 5;20,842 (11.0%) were 5 to 17 yearsold; 19,709 (10.4%) were 18 to 24years old; 47,675 (25.2%) were 25to 34 years old; 32,664 (17.2%)were 35 to 44 years old; 25,841(13.6%) were 45 to 54 years old;14,563 (7.7%) were 55 to 64 yearsold; 8,330 (4.4%) were 65 to 74years old; 6,914 (3.6%) were 75 to84 years old; and 2,518 (1.3%)were age 85 or older.

After a decline in the proportionof children in the County in the1980s, the number of people under

age 18 grew by 20.7 percent in the1990s. The majority of thispopulation growth was among theschool-age population which grewby 26.7 percent. The population ofchildren under age 5 grew by just10.3 percent.

The population of 18-to-44 yearolds grew more slowly than theoverall population in the 1990s. Infact, the population of 18-to-24 yearolds in Arlington County declined by2.7 percent in the last decade. Thepopulation of 25-to-34 year oldsincreased by 8.0 percent and thepopulation of 35-to-44 year oldsincreased by just 5.4 percent.Despite this somewhat slowergrowth in the 1990s, the populationof 25-to-34 year olds continued tocomprise more than one-quarter ofthe total County population in 2000.

The population of 45-to-54 yearolds increased dramatically in the1990s, growing by 41.1 percent.This trend reflects the first wave ofthe baby boom population (born

Total Population 170,936 100.0 189,453 100.0 18,517 10.8Population of One Race - - 181,224 95.7 - -

White 130,873 76.6 130,601 68.9 -272 -0.2Black or African-American 17,940 10.5 17,705 9.3 -235 -1.3Asian and Pacific Islander 11,560 6.8 16,470 8.7 4,910 42.5American Indian and Alaska Native 537 0.3 662 0.3 125 23.3Some Other Race 10,026 5.9 15,786 8.3 5,760 57.5

Population of Two or More Races - - 8,229 4.3 - -

Hispanic - All Races* 23,089 13.5 35,268 18.6 12,179 52.7

Non-Hispanic Population 147,847 86.5 154,185 81.4 6,338 4.3Population of One Race - - 149,084 78.7 - -

White 118,728 69.5 114,489 60.4 -4,239 -3.6Black or African-American 17,225 10.1 17,244 9.1 19 0.1Asian and Pacific Islander 11,161 6.5 16,346 8.6 5,185 46.5American Indian and Alaska Native 465 0.3 418 0.2 -47 -10.1Some Other Race 268 0.2 587 0.3 319 119.0

Population of Two or More Races - - 5,101 2.7 - -Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 and 2000 Census of Population and Housing (SF1).

* Hispanic Origin is not a separate race. A person identified as Hispanic may be of any race.

POPULATION BY RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

PercentNumber

1990 2000**

** The Census Bureau included multi-racial categories in the 2000 Census that were not included in the 1990 Census. Therefore, race data from 1990 and 2000 should be compared cautiously.

ARLINGTON COUNTY 1990 AND 2000

PercentNumber 1990 - 2000

Change % Change

1990 - 2000

4

between 1946 and 1964) enteringthis age cohort. The increase in thisage group in Arl ington wassomewhat less pronounced than thenational trend, however. Nationally,the population age 45 to 54 yearsold increased by 49 percent over thelast decade.

For the first time in the historyof the Census, the nationalpopulation of people ages 65 andolder increased at a slower rate thanthe overall population. This trendbegan in Arlington County in the1980s and continued in the 1990s.In fact, the 65+ population inArlington actually declined by 8.5percent - or 1,647 persons - in the1990s, marking the first time therewas an actual drop in the County’solder population. All of the declinewas among the population age 65to 74 years, which experienced a25.1 percent decline in population.The population of 75 to 84 year oldsincreased slightly, by 5.7 percent.The 85 and older populationexperienced the largest increase ofany age cohort - 44.9 percent -however they still only constituted1.3 percent of the total Countypopulation in 2000.

Arlington County’s population isyounger than the nationalpopulation, on average. In 2000,the average age in the County was

34.0 years while the nationalaverage was 35.3 years. Thepopulation of 25-to-34 year oldscomprised 25.2 percent ofArlington’s population, comparedwith only 14.2 percent of the U.S.population. The County may attracta younger population because of itsproximity to Washington DC, itsconvenience to federal government,consulting, and high-tech jobs, andthe development of numerous high-rise apartment buildings,particularly in the Rosslyn-Ballstonmetro corridor, that are comprisedby mostly one- and two-bedroomunits.

HOUSEHOLDSArlington County had a total of

86,352 households in 2000, anincrease of 7,832 – or 10.0 percent– over the 1990 household total of78,520. (The U.S. Census Bureaudefines a household as a set ofpersons living in an occupiedhousing unit.) Over the pastdecade, the County’s populationrose slightly faster than the numberof households, reflecting an increasein the average number of personsper household.

Age Distribution 2000 Arlington County and the United States

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

18.0%

20.0%

22.0%

24.0%

26.0%

Under 5

years

5 to 9

years

10 to 14

years

15 to 19

years

20 to 24

years

25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 59

years

60 to 64

years

65 to 74

years

75 to 84

years

85

years

and

older

Arlington County United States

54,498

69,360 71,615

78,52086,352

0

20

40

60

80

100

HO

US

EH

OL

DS

(T

HO

US

AN

DS

)

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

HOUSEHOLDSARLINGTON COUNTY 1960 - 2000

5

Household SizeTogether, one- and two-person

households accounted for nearlythree-quarters of all Arlingtonhouseholds. In 2000, there were35,216 (40.8%) one-personhouseholds and 27,419 (31.8%)two-person households. Theproportion of one-personhouseholds increased slightly over1990; in 1990, 39.3 percent of allArlington households were one-person households.

Despite an increase in theproportion of one-personhouseholds, the average householdsize increased from 2.12 in 1990 to2.15 in 2000. In 1990, the County’saverage household size hadincreased for the first time afterdecades of declining.

Several factors may explain thetrend towards sl ightly largeraverage household sizes in the1990s. Increased immigrationcontributed to the greater averagehousehold size because newimmigrants are more likely to livein larger households with extendedfamily.

The aging of the baby boomgeneration and changes in thetiming of childbearing may also havecontributed to the trend. Many BabyBoom women, even those born at

the beginning of the boom, reachedtheir likely childbearing years in the1990s. More women havingchildren means larger householdand family sizes.

FamiliesThe number of family

households in Arlington Countyincreased by 1,995 over the lastdecade; however, family householdsas a percentage of all householdsdeclined. In 1990, there were37,327 family households whichcomprised 47.5 percent of allhouseholds. In 2000, there were39,322 family households,representing 45.5 percent of all

households. (The U.S. CensusBureau defines a family householdas one in which at least two personsare related by birth, marriage, oradoption.)

Of Arlington County’s 39,322family households, 30,522 (77.6%)were married-couple families. Ofthese married-couple households,41.9 percent had children of theirown. Among other familyhouseholds, 3,825 (9.7%) weresingle-parent households and 4,975(12.7%) were householdscontaining other sets of relatives.Over three-quarters of the single-parent households were female-headed households. “Other” familyhouseholds included householdswith adult siblings, adult child andparent, or other combinations ofrelated people not otherwisecategorized.

Between 1990 and 2000, thepercentage of family householdsthat were married-couplehouseholds remained fairly stable ataround 77 percent. However,among all family households, thepercentage of married couples withchildren increased from 30.2 to 32.6percent over the last decade, whilethe percentage of married coupleswithout children declined from 47.1to 45.1 percent. In addition, thepercentage of all family householdsthat were single-parent householdsincreased from 8.3 percent in 1990to 9.7 percent in 2000.

AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE

ARLINGTON COUNTY 1960 - 2000

2.90

2.432.07 2.12 2.15

0

1

2

3

4

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD STRUCTUREARLINGTON COUNTY 2000

Single-parent

households

4%

Married couples

w/o children

21%

Non-family

households

54%

Married couples

w/ children

15%

Other family

households

6%

6

Households With ChildrenIn 2000, 18,038 (20.9%) of all

households in Arlington Countycontained at least one child under18. Among all households withchildren, 17,874 (99.1%) werefamily households while 164 (0.9%)were non-family households. Of the17,874 family households withchildren, 16,625 (93.0%) containedchildren related to the head of thehousehold by birth or adoption;13,266 (74.2%) were married-couple families; 3,453 (19.3%) werefemale-headed households with nohusband present; and 1,155 (6.5%)were male-headed households withno wife present.

GROUP QUARTERSOf the County’s total population,

4,158 (2.2%) lived in group quartersin 2000. The group quarterspopulation includes persons wholived in college dormitories, militarybarracks, and shelters for thehomeless, as well as persons whowere in institutions such as nursinghomes, psychiatric hospitals,juvenile institutions, andcorrectional institutions.

Of Arlington’s total groupquarters population, 1,459 (35.1%)

lived in institutions, while 2,699(64.9%) lived in other groupquarters. The largest segment ofthe group quarters populationconsisted of persons living in militarybarracks (39.3%). Individuals livingin nursing homes (22.3%) andstudents in college dormitories(13.1%) also made up largeportions of the County’s groupquarters population.

HOUSING UNITSARLINGTON COUNTY 1990 and 2000

0

25

50

75

100

1990 2000

UN

ITS (

TH

OU

SAN

DS)

Vacant

Occupied

4.5%

95.5%

7.5%

92.5%

45%

55%

43%

57%

0

10

20

30

40

50

PERCEN

T

1990 2000

HOUSING TENUREARLINGTON COUNTY 1990 AND 2000

Owner-

Occupied

Renter-

Occupied

HOUSING UNITS ANDHOUSING TENURE

In 2000, Arlington County hada housing stock of 90,426. (TheCensus Bureau counts all housingunits with doors and windows,regardless of whether or not the unitis ready for occupancy.)

Of the County’s 90,426 totalhousing units, 86,352 were occupiedand 4,074 were vacant at the timeof the Census, reflecting an overallvacancy rate of 4.5 percent. The2000 vacancy rate was lower thanthe 1990 rate of 7.5 percent.

In Arlington County, the rate ofhomeownership declined during thepast decade after increasing in the1980s. In 1990, 35,009 (44.6%) ofall occupied units were owner-occupied while 43,511 (55.4%)were renter-occupied. In 2000,37,370 (43.3%) of all occupied unitswere owner-occupied while 48,982(56.7%) were renter-occupied. Thisshift toward more rental unitsreflects the strong rental market anddevelopment of high-rise apartmentbuildings in the County’s metrocorridors.

7

TRENDS IN THEMETROPOLITAN AREA Arlington County lies within theWashington DC MetropolitanStatistical Area (MSA), a group ofjurisdictions that share commonemployment centers, housing andtransportation resources. Inaddition to Arlington and the Districtof Columbia, fourteen otherjurisdictions in Virginia and Marylandare part of this MSA. The populationof the Washington MSA was4,544,944 in 2000, an increase of15.9 percent over the 1990 figureof 3,921,805.

Arlington and the Region In 2000, Arlington’s populationwas 4.2 percent of the WashingtonMSA population. This percentagewas slightly lower than the 4.4percent of the regional populationthat the County comprised in 1990.Arlington’s population is expected togrow in the coming decades, but itspopulation will continue to accountfor a smaller percentage of the MSAtotal as development of outersuburban areas continues tooutpace inner suburban and urbangrowth. Although Arlington is a raciallyand ethnically diverse community,its white population continued tocomprise a higher proportion of thetotal population than the MSAaverage. In 2000, the number ofpeople in Arlington that specifiedwhite as their only race comprised68.9 percent of the County’spopulation. By comparison, whitesof one race made up 57.9 percentof the total MSA’s population.Although the proportion ofArlington’s population that is blackor African-American (9.3%) is muchlower than the regional proportionof 27.4 percent, more than 8.3percent of the Arlington populationclassified themselves as being of arace not listed on the Census forms,twice the regional figure. (Many ofthese individuals were l ikelyHispanic or Latino.) The proportionof Arlington residents that were

multi-racial was also higher thanregional average (more than fourpercent in Arlington compared withthree percent in the region.) In 2000, Arlington County washome to a greater proportion ofHispanic individuals than any otherjurisdictions in the Washington MSA.Nearly one-fifth of the County’spopulation classified themselves asHispanic, compared with almostone-tenth of the MSA. Arlington County also had amuch younger population than theWashington MSA. The median agein Arlington was 34.0 in 2000compared to 34.5 for the MSA. Morethan 25 percent of Arlington’sresidents in 2000 were between theages of 25 and 34, compared with16.4 percent for the region.

Regional Population Trends Patterns of population growth inthe Washington MSA in the 1990slargely mirrored those from the1980s. Three trends havecharacterized this continued patternof growth. First, the District ofColumbia continued to losepopulation during the 1990s. TheDistrict’s population has declinedevery decade since the 1950s.Second, the greatest populationincreases in the 1990s were in theregion’s suburbs, not the “urbancore” (which the MetropolitanWashington Council of Governmentsdefines as the District of Columbia,as well as Arlington County and theCity of Alexandria). Third, althoughtheir populations are still muchsmaller than the inner suburbs,rates of population growth in theouter suburbs (or exurbs) farsurpassed those of the innersuburbs. Within the MSA’s urban core, the2000 population for the District was572,059, a loss of 34,841 from 1990.Unlike the District, Arlington Countyand the City of Alexandria gainedpopulation for the same decade;their increases were 18,517 and17,083 persons respectively.Col lectively, the urban core

population remained nearly stable(0.1% increase) throughout the1990s. The largest population growthwas in Montgomery and Fairfaxcounties. With the populationincreases of the 1990s, (116,314and 152,149 persons, respectively)these two jurisdictions are nearingpopulation totals of one million. (In2000, Fairfax County’s totalpopulation was 969,749 andMontgomery County’s populationwas 873,341.) In the 1990s, the combinedpopulation increases in the City ofFalls Church, Fairfax City, PrinceGeorge’s County, MontgomeryCounty and Fairfax County(collectively the inner suburbs of theWashington MSA), added a total of344,100 persons to the MSAaggregate population. Despite theirlarge aggregate land area, thesejurisdictions have becomeincreasingly urban. Continueddevelopment of employmentdestinations and new “towncenters” reinforce the tendency ofthese counties to be independentof the District of Columbia and itsurban core. Within the Washington MSA,Loudoun County experienced thefastest population growth during the1990s, adding 83,499 persons foran increase of 96.9 percent aboveits 1990 population. The nextlargest exurban population increaseduring the past decade took placein Prince William County, where thepopulation rose by 65,113 over thelast decade (an increase of 30.2percent from the 1990 figure). Alltold, the exurban jurisdictions added278,244 people to the MSA total in2000.

Regional Housing Trends With a few exceptions, growthin new housing units throughout theMSA echoed the population trendsof the region during the 1990s.Among the notable differencesbetween population and housingchanges over the past decade was

8

9

the net loss of 3,644 housing unitsin the District of Columbia which wasoffset by gains of more than 5,500housing units in Alexandria andArlington. As a result of thesechanges, the total housing stock ofthe urban core increased by 7,934units, or 1.9 percent, while thepopulation of the urban coreremained stable. The inner suburbs continued toincrease their housing stock, as well.Fairfax County led this group ofsuburban jurisdictions with anincrease of 51,445 housing units, a16.7 percent increase above its 1990figure to 359,411 units in 2000. Thesmaller suburban city jurisdictionshad more modest gains in housing

stock. Fairfax City, for example,added just 57 units, a 1.2 percentincrease from 1990. More notable were the significantincreases in housing units in theMSA’s exurban jurisdictions, whichcollectively added 102,555 units fora 41.2 percent increase over the1990 figure. Stafford, PrinceWilliam, and Frederick counties allgained more than 10,000 unitsduring the previous decade. A distinguishing characteristic ofthe Washington MSA during the1990 to 2000 time period was itsremarkably low homeownervacancy rates, which hoveredaround 2 percent in most of theWashington MSA jurisdictions.

Montgomery, Arlington, and FairfaxCounties along with Fairfax and FallsChurch Cities all had homeownervacancy rates below one percent in2000. These figures are all lowerthan the 1990 numbers, althoughthe housing market was quite tightat the time of the Census in 1990as well. Recent downturns in theeconomy, particularly in theNorthern Virginia “tech-corridor,” arelikely to adversely affect vacancyrates, however significant unmethousing needs and low mortgagerates may act to balance increasesin the homeowner rates in the shortterm.

HOUSING UNITS AND VACANCY RATES

WASHINGTON DC MSA 2000

Jurisdiction

District of Columbia 274,845 248,338 101,214 147,124 2.9% 5.9%

Arlington County 90,426 86,352 37,370 48,982 0.7% 2.4%

Fairfax County 359,411 350,714 248,820 101,894 0.6% 2.3%

Loudoun County 62,160 59,900 47,539 12,361 1.1% 3.4%

Stafford County 31,405 30,187 24,322 5,865 1.5% 5.4%

Prince William County 98,052 94,570 67,787 26,783 1.4% 3.4%

City of Alexandria 64,251 61,889 24,745 37,144 1.0% 2.4%

City of Fairfax 8,204 8,035 5,550 2,485 0.7% 2.0%

City of Falls Church 4,725 4,471 2,708 1,763 0.6% 5.3%

City of Manassas 12,114 11,757 8,203 3,554 1.0% 3.6%

City of Manassas Park 3,365 3,254 2,560 694 1.3% 2.4%

Calvert County 27,576 25,447 21,679 3,768 1.6% 6.4%

Charles County 43,903 41,668 32,571 9,097 1.6% 5.0%

Frederick County 73,017 70,060 53,158 16,902 1.5% 5.2%

Montgomery County 334,632 324,565 223,017 101,548 0.9% 3.3%

Prince George's County 302,378 286,610 177,177 109,433 2.3% 4.8%

Washington DC MSA Total 1,790,464 1,707,817 1,078,420 629,397 1.3% 4.0%

Total Housing

Units

Owner-

Occupied

Units

Homeowner

Vacancy

Rate

Rental

Vacancy

Rate

Renter-

Occupied

Units

Occupied

Housing Units

Department of Community Planning,Housing and DevelopmentPlanning Division Planning Research and AnalysisTeam2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 608Arlington, Virginia 22201

URL: http://www.co.arlington.va.us/cphd/index.htmE-mail: PRAT@co.arlington.va.us

Telephone: 703-228-3525Facsimile: 703-228-3543

Published: February 2002