HELP US END MASS INCARCERATION The Prison Policy Initiative uses research, advocacy, and organizing to dismantle mass incarceration. We’ve been in this movement for 22 years, thanks to individual donors like you.

Can you help us sustain this work?

Thank you,
Peter Wagner, Executive Director Donate

Number of people in state prison or a local jail in 2020 from each Virginia city or town

Select cities and towns in Virginia Number of people in state prison or a local jail from each city or town, 2020 Census population, 2020 Total population, 2020 Incarceration rate per 100,000
Abingdon town 76 8,376 8,452 899
Accomac town 3 519 425 706
Alberta town 4 302 38 10,526
Alexandria city 224 159,467 159,558 140
Altavista town 32 3,378 3,410 938
Amherst town 11 2,110 2,121 519
Appalachia town 23 1,432 1,455 1,581
Appomattox town 13 1,919 1,932 673
Ashland town 44 7,565 7,609 578
Bedford town 40 6,657 6,626 604
Belle Haven town 1 543 544 184
Berryville town 10 4,574 4,584 218
Big Stone Gap town 42 5,254 4,540 925
Blacksburg town 40 44,826 44,866 89
Blackstone town 42 3,352 3,394 1,237
Bloxom town 3 387 390 769
Bluefield town 30 5,096 4,373 686
Boones Mill town 3 259 262 1,145
Bowling Green town 3 1,168 1,171 256
Boyce town 0 749 749 0
Boydton town 3 302 305 984
Boykins town 8 516 524 1,527
Branchville town 1 118 119 840
Bridgewater town 17 6,596 6,613 257
Bristol city 230 17,219 17,379 1,323
Broadway town 17 4,170 4,187 406
Brodnax town 7 283 290 2,414
Brookneal town 15 1,090 1,105 1,357
Buchanan town 13 1,196 1,209 1,075
Buena Vista city 56 6,641 6,697 836
Burkeville town 4 417 421 950
Cape Charles town 4 1,178 1,182 338
Capron town 0 141 141 0
Cedar Bluff town 7 1,069 1,076 651
Charlotte Court House town 5 505 447 1,119
Charlottesville city 237 46,553 46,790 507
Chase City town 43 2,053 2,096 2,052
Chatham town 6 1,232 1,182 508
Cheriton town 7 486 493 1,420
Chesapeake city 1,516 249,422 248,285 611
Chilhowie town 8 1,654 1,662 481
Chincoteague town 12 3,344 3,356 358
Christiansburg town 119 23,348 23,410 508
Claremont town 3 305 308 974
Clarksville town 14 1,300 1,314 1,065
Cleveland town 2 136 138 1,449
Clifton Forge town 43 3,555 3,598 1,195
Clifton town 0 243 243 0
Clinchco town 9 244 253 3,557
Clinchport town 0 64 64 0
Clintwood town 21 1,377 1,398 1,502
Coeburn town 32 1,598 1,630 1,963
Colonial Beach town 38 3,908 3,946 963
Colonial Heights city 77 18,170 18,247 422
Courtland town 12 1,295 1,253 958
Covington city 89 5,737 5,767 1,543
Craigsville town 20 899 919 2,176
Crewe town 22 2,262 2,284 963
Culpeper town 152 20,062 20,171 754
Damascus town 7 788 795 881
Danville city 674 42,590 43,000 1,567
Dayton town 8 1,688 1,696 472
Dendron town 2 251 253 791
Dillwyn town 2 436 438 457
Drakes Branch town 5 533 538 929
Dublin town 19 2,682 1,973 963
Duffield town 3 73 76 3,947
Dumfries town 32 5,679 5,711 560
Dungannon town 5 257 262 1,908
Eastville town 2 300 302 662
Edinburg town 4 1,178 1,182 338
Elkton town 17 2,941 2,958 575
Emporia city 87 5,766 5,853 1,486
Exmore town 20 1,473 1,493 1,340
Fairfax city 33 24,146 24,179 136
Falls Church city 4 14,658 14,662 27
Farmville town 37 7,473 7,256 510
Fincastle town 3 755 653 459
Floyd town 8 448 456 1,754
Franklin city 131 8,180 8,311 1,576
Fredericksburg city 239 27,982 28,221 847
Fries town 4 450 454 881
Front Royal town 123 15,011 15,134 813
Galax city 73 6,720 6,793 1,075
Gate City town 12 2,043 2,055 584
Glade Spring town 10 1,367 1,377 726
Glasgow town 21 1,052 1,073 1,957
Glen Lyn town 2 95 97 2,062
Gordonsville town 7 1,402 1,409 497
Goshen town 8 338 346 2,312
Gretna town 11 1,310 1,321 833
Grottoes town 11 2,899 2,910 378
Grundy town 3 875 878 342
Halifax town 4 1,118 990 404
Hallwood town 1 202 203 493
Hamilton town 3 619 622 482
Hampton city 1,017 137,148 137,951 737
Harrisonburg city 332 51,814 51,939 639
Haymarket town 5 1,545 1,550 323
Haysi town 4 484 246 1,626
Herndon town 41 24,655 24,696 166
Hillsboro town 0 114 114 0
Hillsville town 28 2,884 2,912 962
Honaker town 12 1,217 1,229 976
Hopewell city 314 23,033 23,347 1,345
Hurt town 11 1,267 1,278 861
Independence town 7 1,011 1,018 688
Iron Gate town 5 324 329 1,520
Irvington town 0 474 474 0
Ivor town 3 312 315 952
Jarratt town 7 652 659 1,062
Jonesville town 9 872 881 1,022
Keller town 3 144 147 2,041
Kenbridge town 13 1,112 1,125 1,156
Keysville town 10 807 817 1,224
Kilmarnock town 4 1,445 1,449 276
La Crosse town 9 614 623 1,445
Lawrenceville town 16 1,014 1,030 1,553
Lebanon town 49 3,159 3,208 1,527
Leesburg town 71 48,250 48,321 147
Lexington city 15 7,320 7,335 205
Louisa town 21 1,987 2,008 1,046
Lovettsville town 1 2,694 2,695 37
Luray town 49 4,831 4,828 1,015
Lynchburg city 643 79,009 79,307 811
Madison town 3 205 208 1,442
Manassas city 144 42,772 42,916 336
Manassas Park city 42 17,219 17,261 243
Marion town 80 5,751 5,667 1,412
Martinsville city 243 13,485 13,602 1,787
McKenney town 8 457 465 1,720
Melfa town 6 396 402 1,493
Middleburg town 1 669 670 149
Middletown town 2 1,355 1,357 147
Mineral town 5 470 475 1,053
Monterey town 0 165 165 0
Montross town 2 333 335 597
Mount Crawford town 4 439 443 903
Mount Jackson town 12 1,961 1,973 608
Narrows town 17 2,093 2,110 806
Nassawadox town 8 533 541 1,479
New Castle town 0 125 125 0
New Market town 11 2,155 2,166 508
Newport News city 1,319 186,247 187,214 705
Newsoms town 2 286 288 694
Nickelsville town 4 378 382 1,047
Norfolk city 2,653 238,005 239,956 1,106
Norton city 47 3,687 3,734 1,259
Occoquan town 3 1,035 1,038 289
Onancock town 9 1,169 1,178 764
Onley town 2 532 534 375
Orange town 23 4,880 4,552 505
Painter town 1 272 273 366
Pamplin City town 1 138 139 719
Parksley town 7 816 823 851
Pearisburg town 15 2,909 2,924 513
Pembroke town 10 1,152 1,162 861
Pennington Gap town 45 1,624 1,669 2,696
Petersburg city 555 33,458 34,013 1,632
Phenix town 4 232 236 1,695
Pocahontas town 2 268 270 741
Poquoson city 26 12,460 12,486 208
Port Royal town 4 196 200 2,000
Portsmouth city 1,298 97,915 98,152 1,322
Pound town 5 877 882 567
Pulaski town 157 8,985 9,142 1,717
Purcellville town 10 8,929 8,939 112
Quantico town 4 578 582 687
Radford city 80 16,070 16,150 495
Remington town 2 626 628 318
Rich Creek town 3 749 752 399
Richlands town 96 5,261 5,357 1,792
Richmond city 2,496 226,610 228,501 1,092
Ridgeway town 9 752 761 1,183
Roanoke city 1,045 100,011 100,680 1,038
Rocky Mount town 42 4,903 4,905 856
Round Hill town 1 693 694 144
Rural Retreat town 5 1,546 1,551 322
Salem city 121 25,346 25,360 477
Saltville town 15 1,824 1,839 816
Saxis town 2 172 174 1,149
Scottsburg town 2 127 129 1,550
Scottsville town 1 524 525 190
Shenandoah town 24 2,486 2,510 956
Smithfield town 41 8,533 8,574 478
South Boston town 99 7,966 7,872 1,258
South Hill town 54 4,690 4,744 1,138
St. Charles town 3 73 76 3,947
St. Paul town 6 866 872 688
Stanardsville town 4 349 353 1,133
Stanley town 23 1,703 1,726 1,333
Staunton city 246 25,750 25,996 946
Stephens City town 13 2,016 2,029 641
Stony Creek town 3 209 212 1,415
Strasburg town 33 7,083 7,116 464
Stuart town 15 1,431 1,334 1,124
Suffolk city 797 94,324 94,494 843
Surry town 1 208 209 478
Tangier town 2 436 438 457
Tappahannock town 33 2,193 2,226 1,482
Tazewell town 55 4,486 4,414 1,246
The Plains town 1 245 246 407
Timberville town 19 2,963 2,982 637
Toms Brook town 2 276 278 719
Troutdale town 0 145 145 0
Troutville town 3 458 461 651
Urbanna town 6 492 498 1,205
Victoria town 17 1,734 1,751 971
Vienna town 6 16,473 16,479 36
Vinton town 56 8,059 8,115 690
Virgilina town 2 126 128 1,563
Virginia Beach city 1,823 459,470 460,278 396
Wachapreague town 2 257 259 772
Wakefield town 9 759 768 1,172
Warrenton town 44 10,057 10,076 437
Warsaw town 11 1,637 1,349 815
Washington town 0 86 86 0
Waverly town 21 1,955 1,976 1,063
Waynesboro city 242 22,196 22,438 1,079
Weber City town 3 1,250 1,253 239
West Point town 22 3,414 3,436 640
White Stone town 4 380 384 1,042
Williamsburg city 64 15,425 15,150 422
Winchester city 155 28,120 28,275 548
Windsor town 15 2,746 2,761 543
Wise town 25 2,971 2,996 834
Woodstock town 30 5,807 5,837 514
Wytheville town 79 8,265 8,344 947

Sources and methodology

Select cities and towns in Virginia
This is the city or town defined by the Census Bureau as “places” for Census 2020.
Number of people in state prison or a local jail from each city or town, 2020
This is the number of people from each city or town in state prison or a local jail as of 2020. See the methodology section of the report.
Census population, 2020
This is the population of the city or town as reported in the 2020 Census.
Total population, 2020
This is the total population of the city or town as reflected in the 2020 Census plus the imprisoned population.
Imprisonment rate per 100,000
This is the number of incarcerated people divided by the total population and then multiplied by 100,000. It allows ready comparison of the frequency of incarceration between each city or town of different population sizes.


Stay Informed


Get the latest updates:



Share on 𝕏 Donate