People
D.C. area is biggest source of new RVA residents, Census Bureau data shows
The Richmond metro area has been growing, and new data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows where people are moving from — especially the D.C. suburbs, Hampton Roads and the New York and Philadelphia areas. RVA also receives a lot of international migration, particularly from Asia. The data also shows where former Richmonders move to — notably, Atlanta.

By Hannah Eason
Kayla Walker is from the Virginia Beach area but moved to Richmond to pursue a pharmaceutical career. She says diversity, better opportunities and Virginia Commonwealth University’s pharmacy program influenced her decision.
“There’s literally all walks of life in Richmond, versus in Virginia Beach, it’s very military- and family-based,” Walker said. “In Richmond, it’s sort of a whole spectrum of people.”
Walker was one of more than 60,000 people who moved to the Richmond metro area since 2013. The area’s population increased by about 5% during that time period, and new data shows where new Richmond residents have moved from.
The U.S. Census Bureau released data estimating how many people moved from one place to another. The data shows the migration between metro areas, states and counties.
“These data tables highlight the geographic mobility of people between counties, metropolitan statistical areas, minor civil divisions in some states, and municipalities (municipios) in Puerto Rico,” the U.S. Census Bureau stated in releasing the statistics. “The five-year data provide estimates of in-migration, out-migration and net migration of movers and nonmovers between origin and destination of these geographies.”
The Richmond metro area — which includes the cities of Richmond and Petersburg; the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover; and 12 other localities — has seen about 10,000 people move annually from the Washington, D.C., area in recent years. The numbers are estimates from surveys conducted by the bureau, and they have a margin of error. The influx of people from D.C., for example, could be 1,000 higher or lower.
At the same time, about 7,000 people a year moved from the Richmond area to the D.C. area. So the Richmond area had a net gain from the Washington region of about 3,000 people annually, according to the Census Bureau.
Richmond also saw a large amount of migration from the Virginia Beach-Norfolk metro area — about 7,900 people relocated from Tidewater to River City a year. Around 6,300 Richmond residents went in the opposite direction — giving the state capital region a net gain of about 1,600 people a year from Tidewater.
Internationally, approximately 3,000 people migrated to Richmond from Asia, and 1,000 from Europe.
The data shows that the Richmond area also had net gains in migration from the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area (more than 1,700 people per year); the Philadelphia metro area (about 650 annually); Lynchburg (around 550); and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area (about 450).
The Census Bureau estimated that about 500 people moved to Richmond from the Atlanta, Georgia, area. At the same time, however, almost 1,500 people moved from Richmond to the Atlanta region, making a net loss of about 1,000 for RVA.
Grayson Glueck, owner of social media company Grayson Media, was one of the estimated 7,000 people who moved from Richmond to the D.C. area last year.
After graduating from Radford University, she moved to Richmond in 2017. In 2018, she moved to Fredericksburg and started developing her social media marketing, photography and videography company.
“Both places I lived in Richmond had less traffic and people than I have now,” Glueck said. “Where I live now, if you leave between four and five you’re stuck in bumper to bumper.”
Chris Joseph, a real estate agent with 28 years of experience, says there are many reasons the Richmond area is attractive to D.C.-area residents, such as lower taxes, affordability and easy access to the ocean and mountains.
Joseph says many businesses are opening offices in the Central Virginia region, and the ability to work remotely from Richmond has become more common. With transportation options like carpooling, Amtrak and driving on Interstate 95, living in Richmond and commuting to D.C. is still a common option.
“The distance between Richmond and DC is getting shorter and shorter, but takes a lot of time and is very expensive,” the RE/MAX Commonwealth associate broker said. “It’s much more affordable and less stressful when it comes to commuting.”
Recent college graduate Mohamed Bushra moved from Richmond to the D.C. metro area after getting a job at the Embassy of Qatar.
“I wanted to come back to where I grew up,” Bushra said, “and D.C. is a much bigger city with more opportunities.”
While he is closer to his job living in Springfield, he says traffic and affordability are still prominent issues.
“If you’re looking for a one-bedroom, in Richmond you can get that for like $1,000, and I used to think that was expensive,” Bushra said. “But over here, you can pay $2,000 for a studio apartment, and it’s tiny.”
Working in the public relations department of the embassy, and serving as “the connection between the diplomats and the outside world in the U.S.,” Bushra says the traffic can be overwhelming.
He says it often takes him about 90 minutes to drive to work each morning, and a five-mile trip can frequently take him half an hour.

Business
Richmond Flying Squirrels hosting series of job fairs ahead of 2023 season
Positions are available in food & beverage, ticketing and operations for the team’s home games from April through September.

The Richmond Flying Squirrels are looking to hire part-time, game-day positions for the upcoming baseball season. The team has three upcoming job fairs for interested candidates to fill out applications and find out information about available positions.
Positions are available in food & beverage, ticketing and operations for the team’s home games from April through September. Information on the Flying Squirrels’ upcoming job fairs can be found here. The 2023 game schedule can be found here.
The job fairs will take place at The Diamond (3001 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23230) on the following dates:
- Wednesday, March 8, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Thursday, March 30, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Available positions include:
FOOD & BEVERAGE
TICKETING
OPERATIONS
Questions regarding game-day positions with the Flying Squirrels can be directed to [email protected].
The Flying Squirrels open the 2023 on Friday, April 7 against the Reading Fightin Phils. Individual-game tickets, including tickets for Opening Night, are available now online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.
Business
United Way launches free annual tax preparation service
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg has launched itsVolunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that helps families work toward financial stability by providing free tax assistance through in-person tax sites as well as a new virtual tax assistance service.

United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg has launched itsVolunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that helps families work toward financial stability by providing free tax assistance through in-person tax sites as well as a new virtual tax assistance service.
United Way’s team of IRS-certified tax preparers and volunteers will prepare income tax returns for qualifying families and individuals with incomes of $60,000 or less at 12 tax prep sites located throughout the city of Richmond and in the counties of Goochland, Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover.
“Our VITA program has been supporting the community since 2002 and could not exist without our dedicated volunteers,” said Cara Cardotti, United Way’s Director of Tax Assistance Programs. “Each volunteer successfully navigates required IRS certification tests annually to work with the program.”
The VITA program offers multiple ways for customers to receive tax assistance. Options include scheduling an appointment, dropping off tax documents with a tax preparer, or visiting one of the first come, first serve tax locations. Virginia residents can also complete taxes online through United Way’s online tax assistance site, GetYourRefund.org/uwgrp.
Hours of operation for each tax site are subject to change and can be found on United Way’s website.
The Sacred Heart location in Richmond will offer assistance for customers who speak Spanish and Portuguese.
“While our program offers free tax preparation for people with incomes up to $60,000, the reality is that most community members served by the program earn far less per year, on average $25,380,” said Angela Otto, United Way’s Interim President and CEO. “Our volunteers not only provide free tax preparation services but also help many individuals and families claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which helps to bring even more dollars into the households who need it most.”
In 2022, VITA volunteers helped file 2,256 tax returns, recover $2.9 million in tax returns, claim $847,963 in earned income tax credit refunds and save $556,000 in tax preparation fees.
A Do-It-Yourself option is also available for individuals who make up to $73,000 with free coaching from an IRS-certified volunteer to help customers successfully file tax returns. For more information on the service, individuals can contact [email protected].
To learn more about the program and tax sites, visit United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance website.
History
StoryCorps encourages Richmonders from different backgrounds to take “One Small Step”
In these challenging times, StoryCorps’ One Small Step program is working to help mend the fraying fabric of our nation–one conversation at a time.

Today, in our divisive political landscape, some nine out of ten Americans say they’re exhausted by our political divisions and looking for a way out. In these challenging times, StoryCorps’ One Small Step program is working to help mend the fraying fabric of our nation–one conversation at a time.
The One Small Step program is working intensively in three “Anchor Communities,” including Richmond, to bring strangers with different political beliefs together–not to debate politics–but to have a conversation about their lives. In the process, the hope is that they both discover their shared humanity.
To date, over 3,000 people across more than 40 U.S. states have participated. Anyone anywhere can be matched for a conversation. Click here to learn more.
In one recent conversation, Richmonders Jerome and Warren learned they had more in common than they thought, even though they’re on different sides of the political aisle.