PWC-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce

Demographics of Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park

Location:

Prince William County is located in Northern Virginia approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Prince William is bounded by Fairfax and Loudoun Counties in the north, Fauquier County in the west, Stafford county in the south and the Potomac River (Maryland) in the east. Prince William contains four incorporated towns: Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan and Quantico. Within the boundaries of Prince William County, the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park are located.

The highest elevation is 1,280 feet above sea level on Bull Run Mountain at the western boundary with Fauquier County and the lowest is a sea level on the Potomac River. The center of the county is located near Brentsville at 38.70 degrees N. Latitude and 77.48 degrees W. Longitude.

Size:

Prince William contains an area of 348 square miles or 222,720 acres. The combined area of Prince William County and the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, is 360 square miles or 230,626 acres.

Population:

The current estimated population of the County is 282,060 (as of December 15, 1999) which is approximately 834 persons per square mile of land area. The County has grown 94.9% since 1980 when the population was 144,703.
Average Annual Growth rate since 1980: 6,969 persons or 3.39%
Projected Population in 2020: 428,000

Race:

The 1990 Census indicates that 83% of the County's population is White, 12% African American, 3% Asian, 2% other races. Approximately 4.5% of the population were of Hispanic origin.

Age:

According to the 1990 Census, 31.9% are 18 years of age or younger. Approximately 3% are 65 and over. The median age of the population is estimated to be 29 years of age.

Education:

At least 31% have a college degree

Average household size and type:

Census results show that the average household size in 1990 as 3.04 persons per dwelling unit. This figure is down from 3.26 in 1980. The average household size in 1990 in the Commonwealth of Virginia was estimated by the Center for Public Services at 2.61.

Employment:

According to the Virginia Employment Commissions (VEC), Prince William County had a civilian labor force of 140,981 in October 1999. The VEC's figures also indicate PWC has an unemployment rate of 2.0%. In comparison, the unemployment rate in Virginia was 2.6% and in the USA the overall unemployment rate was 3.8%. First Quarter 1999 "At place" Employment accounted for 72,060 jobs; 32.6% in trade; 22.8% in government service; 21.7% in service industries; 10.2% in construction; 4.0% in trasportation, communications and public utilities; 3.9% in manufacturing; 3.0% in finance, insurance and real estate; and 1.7% in agriculture, forestry and fishing. At place employment is up from 26,776 in 1980, a 169.1% increase.

Income:

Median family income (MFI) in 1989 according to the 1990 Census was $52,078 and median household income (MHI) was $49,370. (19th highest in the U.S.) This compares with a MFI of $38,213 and a MHI of $33,328 for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Per capita income in 1989 was $17,833. According to a 1996 report produced by the Center for Public Services, median family income had risen to $61,313 and the MHI to $58,126.

Housing:

There is an estimated 97,671 housing units in the County as of December 15, 1999. The average vacancy rate was 6.74% in 1990 according to the Census Bureau. The housing stock consists of approximately 55.1% single-family detached units, 26.8% townhouses and 18.1% multifamily structures.

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