Demographic Voter Makeup: Virginia

*Editor’s note: This is the last installment in a series that will break down the demographic statistics of voters in all six of FPP’S designated swing states plus the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Virginia was one of the original 13 colonies and birthplace of four of the first five Presidents. Virginia is an important battleground state with 8,001,024 people which makes it the 12th largest state with 13 electoral votes. From the first election to 1808, the state had the most electoral votes. Barack Obama defeated John McCain there by a margin of 53% to 46% in 2008. Much like North Carolina, Virginia has seen drastic demographic changes making it far more likely to vote for a Democrat then in previous elections; it has voted Republican in every election since 1952 with the exception of 2008 and 1964. The state has two Democratic Senators, a Republican Governor, an equally divided State Senate, and a heavily Republican State House.

Population

Population: 8,001,024 (2010)
State rank: 12^th
Change since 2000 census: up 13.0%
Most populated cities
Virginia Beach 437,994
Norfolk 242,803
Chesapeake 222,209
Arlington CDP 207,627
Household Income
Under $15K: 10.4%
$15K-$50K: 31.2%
$50K-$100K: 31.6%
$100K-$200K: 20.8%
Over $200K: 6.1%
Median Income: $60,539

Read more after the jump

Home Value
Under $100K: 13.6%
$100K-$300K: 43.8%
Over $300K: 42.6%
Median Value: $260,100
Education
H.S. grad: 86.1%
College grad: 33.7%
Grad degree: 13.9%
Military Veterans
% of Pop: 12.4%
Ethnicity
White: 64.8%
Black: 19.0%
Hispanic: 7.9%
Asian: 5.5%
Native Am.: 0.3%
Hawaiian: 0.1%
Age
Median age: 36.9 years
Over 65: 11.9%
Under 18: 23.6%
State Legislature
Senate: 22D 18R
House: 39D 592R I2
Work
Private: 72.2%
Government: 22.8%
Self-employed: 4.9%
Unemployment (Sept 2012): 5.9%
Registered Voters in 2010
No Party registration
Voter Turnout in 2010: 2,189,841
Turnout as % of voting age in 2010: 35.6%