“Typically, we see these are both a function of education and employment, so, these are two main drivers, in addition to the other three — births, deaths and migrations — that drive individuals to both come to the Richmond metro area as well as remain in the Richmond metro area,” she said.

While the Richmond metro area and other urban centers, including those in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, experience growth, some rural areas are witnessing population decline.

According to the 2020 projections, 71% of Virginians reside in one of the state’s three largest metropolitan areas — Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads or Richmond — with 17% in other metro areas and only 12% living in non-metro areas.

Sen said the increasing population density in urban centers indicates voting trends in those areas will hold “greater sway” in statewide elections.

Virginia does not require voters to register by party, but in 2018, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., carried all 10 of the state’s most populous localities, as did Democrat Ralph Northam in his 2017 run for governor. Democrat Hillary Clinton carried seven of the 10 in the 2016 presidential election; Republican Donald Trump carried Chesterfield and the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.