Demographics
| Population, 1990, 2000, and 2006, Selected Jurisdictions | ||||||||
| Change, 1990-2006 | ||||||||
| Jurisdiction | 1990 | 2000 | 2006 (Estimated) | Number | Percent | |||
| Hampton | 133,811 | 146,437 | 145,708 | 11,897 | 8.9% | |||
| James City County | 34,970 | 48,102 | 59,183 | 24,213 | 69.2% | |||
| Newport News | 171,439 | 180,150 | 181,416 | 9,977 | 5.8% | |||
| Poquoson | 11,005 | 11,566 | 11 ,852 | 847 | 7.7% | |||
| Williamsburg | 11,409 | 11,998 | 13,330 | 1,921 | 16.8% | |||
| York County | 42,434 | 56,297 | 63,139 | 20,705 | 48.8% | |||
| Peninsula Total | 405,068 | 454,550 | 474,628 | 69,560 | 17.2% | |||
| VA Beach MSA | 1,430,974 | 1,558,727 | 1,623,139 | 192,165 | 13.4% | |||
| State of Virginia | 6,189,197 | 7,079,030 | 7,642,884 | 1,453,687 | 23.5% | |||
| Sources : U.S. Census Bureau (1990 and 2000); Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service (2006) | ||||||||
York County 's population is heavily concentrated in the lower County, which represents less than half the County's land area but is home to 82.5% of its residents. Almost 60% of the land in the upper County is uninhabited federal land that helps to keep the overall population density low.
Age, Sex and Race
The 2000 median age in York County was 36.5 years, almost 4 years older than it was in 2000 and 8 years older than in 1980.
The racial composition of the County's population has been fairly stable, with Caucasians representing 80% of the population for the past 15 years. Although the number of African-American residents increased 26% between 1990 and 2005, their proportion of the non-Caucasian population fell from 83% to 66% while the Asian population almost tripled, climbing from 8% to 20% of the minority population.
Although the number of black residents rose 26.3% between 1990 and 2005, the black proportion of the total population fell from 15.6% to 13.5% while the Asian population almost tripled, climbing from 2.2% to 4.2%.
| York County Households by Type, 2000 | |||||
| Household Type | Number | Percent | |||
| Families | |||||
| Married Couple | 13,458 | 67.3% | |||
| With Children | 6,930 | 34.7% | |||
| Without Children | 6,528 | 32.6% | |||
| Single-Parent | 1,518 | 7.6% | |||
| Male-headed | 338 | 1.7% | |||
| Female-headed | 1,180 | 5.9% | |||
| Other Family | 911 | 4.6% | |||
| Male-headed | 220 | 1.1% | |||
| Female-headed | 691 | 3.5% | |||
| Subtotal | 15,887 | 79.4% | |||
| Non-Family Households | |||||
| Living Alone | 3,338 | 16.7% | |||
| Male | 1,385 | 6.9% | |||
| Female | 1,953 | 9.8% | |||
| Other Non-Family | 775 | 3.9% | |||
| Male | 460 | 2.3% | |||
| Female | 315 | 1.6% | |||
| Subtotal | 4,113 | 20.6% | |||
| TOTAL | 20,000 | 100.0% | |||
| Source: U. S. Census Bureau | |||||
Households & Families
The number of households (i.e. occupied housing units) increased 12.5% from 2000 to 2007. The vast majority of the County's estimated 23,300 households are married-couple families, despite an increase in other types of living arrangements such as single-parent families, unrelated people cohabitating, and people living alone. Families as a percentage of all households fell from 82% in 1990 to 79% in 2000, and married-couple families fell from 70% to 67% of all households.
This prevalence of married-couple families in York County is reflected in its relatively large average household size, which, at 2.78 persons per household, was one of the highest in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News MSA in 2000. This is partly attributable to the County's large proportion of on-base military households living in housing that was built for military personnel with large families. The average household living on a military base in the County has 4.14 persons.
Population
York County is home to approximately 64,100 people and ranks 18th in population among Virginia 's 95 counties. In land area, however, York is the third smallest county in the state, making it the sixth most densely populated county. With a 12% increase in population since 2000, York County is the third-fastest growing locality in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Census Tract Information – Upper versus Lower York County
The Census Bureau divides York County into thirteen Census Tracts for the purposes of data collection and reporting. The part of the County lying north of Old Williamsburg Road (Route 238) includes the three northernmost tracts (506, 507, and 508) and is generally referred to as the upper County. The upper County, exclusive of the Naval Weapons Station, also is
"In terms of employment, shopping, and certain public services, the upper County tends to be more closely associated with the Williamsburg area than with the rest of York County , from which it is separated by the vast expanse of Federal property.”
often referred to as the "Bruton District" or Bruton. This area contains much of the County's rural character, military presence, and tourist-oriented development. Census Tract 508 is largely
comprised of the less densely populated Skimino, Lightfoot, and Waller Mill areas, while Tract 507, where public utilities are more widely available, includes more densely developed neighborhoods. Census Tract 506 consists almost entirely of Federal property, including Camp Peary, Cheatham Annex, and the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station.
The lower County contains several areas and communities that have no defined legal boundaries but whose general location is commonly known to the citizens. The best known of these is historic Yorktown, which is the County seat and is located in Census Tract 505, as is the Lackey community, located along Old Williamsburg Road across from the Naval Weapons Station. Grafton, which is generally bounded by Goodwin Neck Road, Chisman Creek, Oriana Road, and the Poquoson River, includes Census Tracts 503.03 and 503.04 and a portion of Tract 503.01. That portion of the County located south of the Poquoson River and Harwoods Mill Reservoir is considered Tabb, which includes Tracts 502.03, 502.04, 502.05, and 502.06 and the portion of Tract 503.01 south of Oriana Road. This area contains Langley Air Force Base's 1300-unit Bethel Manor housing complex (in Census Tract 502.04), which houses over 5,000 residents. Other communities in the lower County include Seaford (Tract 504.02), Dandy (in Tract 504.01), and Dare (in Tract 503.04).
