Sussex County, Virginia Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Sussex County, Virginia, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Sussex County, Virginia. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Sussex County, Virginia. The estimated population of Sussex County, Virginia is 10,960 people, with a median age of 40.6.

We can look at the total population in Sussex County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
10,960
 -2.16% -5.48%
2020
11,202
 -1.54% -
2019
11,377
 -0.95% -
2018
11,486
 -0.94% -
2017
11,595
 - -

Population of Sussex County, Virginia by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
38.8%
38.1%
 +1.84%
Black/African American
55.9%
56.1%
 -0.36%
Native
0%
0.4%
 -100.00%
Hispanic
3.2%
2.9%
 +10.34%
Asian
0.3%
0.3%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.7%
2.1%
 -19.05%
Other
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Sussex County, Virginia by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 40.6 -0.98% 37.2 +0.54% 47.8 -2.85%
2020 41 0% 37 0% 49.2 +2.71%
2019 41 +3.02% 37 -0.27% 47.9 +0.21%
2018 39.8 -1.49% 37.1 0% 47.8 -7.72%
2017 40.4 - 37.1 - 51.8 -

The median age of Sussex County, Virginia gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 454 +15.38% 501 -22.48% 510 391
10 to 19 540 0.75% 308 +61.42% 522 521
20 to 29 1,616 -18.67% 313 +62.19% 1,330 464
30 to 39 1,667 -32.27% 346 +36.53% 1,172 476
40 to 49 1,111 -10.4% 410 +22.1% 951 475
50 to 59 981 -18.2% 764 -18.44% 810 628
60 to 69 663 +3.68% 654 +4.47% 684 681
70+ 520 +10.67% 747 +2.91% 577 768

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Sussex County, Virginia is $56,968.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Sussex County.

  • Under 25
    $27,639.00
  • 25 to 44
    $67,305.00
  • 45 to 64
    $70,208.00
  • 65 and over
    $49,881.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Sussex County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Sussex County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Sussex County, Virginia is currently $69,388.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

1.78% of households in Sussex County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Sussex County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    19.20%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    22.57%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    20.27%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    15.59%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    16.25%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    4.35%
  • $200,000 or more
    1.78%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Sussex County is $26,055.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Sussex County by the total population of Sussex County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Sussex County, Virginia, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Sussex County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    6.14%
  • Bachelor's degree
    17.39%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    12.96%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    55.66%
  • Less than high school diploma
    7.85%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Sussex County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Sussex County over the age of 16 is 9,376.

Of those people, a total of 51.30% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Sussex County is 48.20%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 360 59.70% 19.10%
20 to 24 years 883 66.70% 17.00%
25 to 29 years 911 58.80% 11.90%
30 to 34 years 894 62.50% 2.90%
35 to 44 years 1,437 57.70% 0.20%
45 to 54 years 1,481 67.10% 4.00%
55 to 59 years 700 60.30% 3.30%
60 to 64 years 778 42.80% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 1,150 25.20% 0.00%
75 years and over 782 5.10% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Sussex County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 3,755 52.90% 4.30%
Black or African American 5,297 50.70% 7.10%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 33 69.70% 4.30%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 41 7.30% 0.00%
Two or more races 250 44.00% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 227 34.80% 15.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino 3,674 52.80% 3.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Sussex County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Sussex County is 4,521, with median earnings of $35,709.00.

Women in Sussex County, Virginia earning approximately 92.10% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 4,521 $35,709.00
Male 2,881 $36,716.00
Female 1,640 $33,808.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 455 $63,250.00
Business and Financial 89 $48,304.00
Computer and Mathematical 64 $63,621.00
Architecture and Engineering 53 $103,494.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 13 $43,125.00
Community and Social Service 42 $47,283.00
Legal 6 $0.00
Educational and Library 200 $40,069.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 39 $32,321.00
Healthcare Practitioners 172 $49,359.00
Healthcare Support 205 $26,265.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 122 $14,700.00
Law Enforcement 127 $56,193.00
Food Preparation and Serving 151 $14,653.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 154 $27,600.00
Personal Care and Service 108 $25,256.00
Sales 345 $24,778.00
Office and Administrative Support 470 $35,029.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 76 $33,750.00
Construction and Extraction 393 $42,608.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 138 $37,188.00
Production 393 $41,181.00
Transportation and Material Moving 264 $16,979.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 279 $65,078.00 176 $55,833.00
Business and Financial 40 $19,083.00 49 $107,734.00
Computer and Mathematical 17 $139,028.00 47 $62,974.00
Architecture and Engineering 53 $103,494.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 11 $9,792.00 2 $0.00
Community and Social Service 28 $0.00 14 $0.00
Legal 0 $0.00 6 $0.00
Educational and Library 66 $41,389.00 134 $29,000.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 20 $26,563.00 19 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 12 $40,625.00 160 $49,551.00
Healthcare Support 150 $0.00 55 $26,417.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 66 $117,708.00 56 $0.00
Law Enforcement 92 $56,136.00 35 $72,569.00
Food Preparation and Serving 19 $0.00 132 $13,750.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 60 $24,091.00 94 $28,833.00
Personal Care and Service 47 $26,314.00 61 $11,964.00
Sales 174 $23,645.00 171 $43,194.00
Office and Administrative Support 170 $36,367.00 300 $31,343.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 76 $33,750.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 378 $39,808.00 15 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 138 $37,188.00 0 $0.00
Production 352 $42,130.00 41 $23,542.00
Transportation and Material Moving 234 $15,588.00 30 $51,250.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 3,656 households in Sussex County, with an average household size of 2.57 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 2,312 families in Sussex County with an average family size of 3.3 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 1,532 283 497 1,344
Average Household Size 3.21 3.31 3.95 1.17
Total Families 1,532 283 497 0
Average Household Size 3.19 2.88 3.89 0

Poverty

Of the 2,312 families in Sussex County, 6.50% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Sussex County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 4,645 housing units in Sussex County, Virginia.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 3,656 78.71%
Vacant 989 21.29%

17.37% of the total 4,645 housing units in Sussex County are rental units. This is approximately 807 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 2,640 are occupied by the owner - or 56.84% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Sussex County is $868.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Sussex County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    209
  • Less than $500
    152
  • $500 to $999
    380
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    239
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    13
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    23
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Sussex County is $129,600.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Sussex County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    347
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    635
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    565
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    481
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    469
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    98
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    39
  • $1,000,000 or more
    6

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Sussex County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Sussex County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    384
  • 1940 to 1949
    262
  • 1950 to 1959
    477
  • 1960 to 1969
    372
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,019
  • 1980 to 1989
    663
  • 1990 to 1999
    723
  • 2000 to 2009
    462
  • 2010 to 2013
    283
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Sussex County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    355
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,020
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,085
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,196

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Sussex County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Sussex County that commute to work in a particular way.

34.6 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Sussex County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    105
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    460
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    287
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    444
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    207
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    246
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    619
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    247
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    109
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    1,003
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    359
  • 90 or more minutes
    226

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Sussex County, Virginia in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Sussex County, Virginia

We have data for 7 places in Sussex County, Virginia. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.