(Danville) — The latest census numbers suggest Danville is still losing population, but local leaders say other signs are contradicting those figures.
In their annual estimates of headcounts for cities and towns, the Census Bureau has Danville at 41,837. That’s down 180 from a year ago and down 753 from 2020. The estimates do not differentiate between net migration and natural replacement numbers.
Danville’s drop was lower than the year before, when the estimates showed an annual population loss of 268. The report shows Danville’s population has declined 1.8% since the official 2020 Census.
Councilman Lee Vogler notes earlier estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center listed Danville with the state’s third-highest rate of in-migration. He also notes the city’s housing shortage means a lot of people are trying to come in. “Those of us here on the ground strongly believe the actual numbers in the next census will show population growth for the first time in decades,” Vogler said.
City Manager Ken Larking agrees, saying Danville has turned a corner regarding population loss. “Based on what I am hearing from our Community Development Department, Danville has or will soon have multiple housing development projects under construction now and in the near future,” Larking said. “I anticipate that the next full census will show an increase in population.”
Meantime, Martinsville is bucking the trend. The Census estimates place their headcount at 13,763. That’s up 66 from the year before and up nearly 300 from the beginning of the decade.
South Boston is down from nearly 8,000 at the start of the decade to just over 7,800.
Pittsylvania County’s three incorporated towns all showed very minor population drops.