Census-designated place · Albemarle County, Virginia

Rio, Virginia

Rio is a census-designated place in Albemarle County, Virginia, part of the Charlottesville, VA metro area. It has 1,252 residents. Rio, Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 93 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,174 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Virginia it ranks #104 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on flu vaccinations (high), mammography screening (high) and primary care physicians (high). It ranks worst on job growth (low), pharmacies (low) and drought exposure (high).

93Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,174 of 15,651 cities and towns
Virginia: #104 of 375 in VA
Population: 1,252 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 2,026.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 5167288

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety70#4,690/15,637
Economy38#9,739/15,631
Housing—
Health94#861/15,609
Healthcare84#2,483/15,650
Environment93#1,073/15,453
Education89#1,668/15,649
Infrastructure82#2,823/15,650
Community75#3,977/15,651
Leisure & amenities71#4,570/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Rio, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Albemarle County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Flu vaccinations · high60.0%
99/100Virginia 47.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlbemarle County value
Mammography screening · high61.0%
99/100Virginia 47.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlbemarle County value
Primary care physicians · high138 /100k
97/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlbemarle County value
Public transit commuters · high6.3%
95/100Virginia 2.3%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Life expectancy · high81.6 yrs
93/100Virginia 77.8 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlbemarle County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,772 /100k
92/100Virginia 2,649 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAlbemarle County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-3.5%
5/100Virginia -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataAlbemarle County value
Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
6/100Virginia 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAlbemarle County value
Drought exposure · high89%
7/100Virginia 70%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAlbemarle County value
Unemployment rate · high8.0%
17/100Virginia 3.4%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Distance to an airport · high76 mi
20/100Virginia 32 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAlbemarle County value
Poverty rate · high22.2%
25/100Virginia 9.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
1,771 (2016-2020) → 1,252 (2020-2024)
−29%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
75.0% (2016-2020) → 39.6% (2020-2024)
−35 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
39.2% (2016-2020) → 22.2% (2020-2024)
−17 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 11.9% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherWorsening
92.0% (2016-2020) → 81.0% (2020-2024)
−11 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.5% → 89.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.8% (2016-2020) → 93.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
7.4% (2016-2020) → 11.3% (2020-2024)
+3.9 pts4 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.4% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

There is not enough history to compare Rio, Virginia over five years.

Cities and towns like Rio, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rio, Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Rio, Virginia five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,252 residents (±389)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,252 residents (±389)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

White43%†544
Black26%†326
Hispanic or Latino22%†278
Asian3.8%†48
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races4.5%†56

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

747 residents (±232)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

No high school diploma19%†142
High school or GED30%†222
Some college15%†110
Associate degree5.4%†40
Bachelor's degree17%†126
Graduate degree14%†107

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

762 households (±220)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k28%†211
$25k–50k22%†165
$50k–75k29%†221
$75k–100k5.5%†42
$100k–150k11%†86
$150k–200k2.4%†18
$200k or more2.5%†19

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

762 households (±220)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

Own2.5%†19
Rent98%743

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

743 households (±219)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $75011%†79
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50020%†151

Home values

19 homes (±17)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $150k0.0%0
$150k–250k0.0%0
$250k–400k47%†9

Age of homes

762 homes (±220)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

2010 or later46%†350
2000–200917%†133
1980–199937%†279

Size of homes

762 homes (±220)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

Studio4.2%†32
1 bedroom66%†504
2 bedrooms22%†171

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

717 workers (±258)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone64%†460
Carpool9.9%†71
Public transit6.3%†45
Walk2.0%†14
Bike0.0%0
Work from home11%†79
Other6.7%†48

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

638 workers (±247)

Rio, Virginia
Virginia share

Under 15 min41%†262
15–29 min27%†175
30–44 min20%†130

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Charlottesville, VA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Albemarle County, the county holding most of Rio's residents.

Albemarle County has 2,963 employer establishments, 256 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 1.06× Virginia's), with 42,901 paid employees at an average annual pay of $65,241. The Census Bureau also counts 11,702 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,963; 11,702 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 256; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 42,901
Average annual pay: $65,241; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Albemarle County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	329	28.4	1.36×More than typical	4,371	$109,595	720
Lessors of real estate	179	15.5	1.26×More than typical	988	$60,400	1,232
Specialty trade contractors	168	14.5	0.94×About typical	1,580	$60,920	520
Restaurants and other eating places	156	13.5	0.73×Fewer than typical	2,985	$22,617	39
Offices of physicians	114	9.9	1.52×More than typical	1,192	$112,763	203
Construction of buildings	107	9.3	1.22×About typical	562	$89,751	269
Management, scientific and technical consulting	103	8.9	1.33×More than typical	651	$105,542	962
Offices of other health practitioners	99	8.6	1.41×More than typical	545	$51,002	398
Services to buildings and dwellings	97	8.4	1.24×About typical	651	$43,407	502
Religious organizations	83	7.2	1.29×More than typical	341	$26,264	—
Full-service restaurants	76	6.6	0.86×About typical	1,575	$25,566	21
Schools, colleges and instruction	72	6.2	1.78×More than typical	1,208	$52,709	760

Rank places for an industry Open Albemarle County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 115,664 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $592.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Rio, Virginia: $473 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $592.4K; −57% vs FY2025
Per resident: $473; US $1,994
Sole-source: 96%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.6%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$440.6K74%
Department of the Army$100.3K17%
Defense Logistics Agency$34.6K5.8%
U.S. Coast Guard$11.9K2.0%
Department of the Air Force$7,1111.2%
National Park Service$2450.0%
Defense Information Systems Agency$1710.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs$83.860.0%

Top recipients

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION$476.7K80%
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION$100K17%
BARRON ASSOCIATES, INC.$11.9K2.0%
FAIRWINDS TECHNOLOGIES LLC$2,1240.4%
TRIDENT E&P, LLC$9120.2%

Spending by fiscal year

1.4MFY2017
1.4MFY2018
1.8MFY2019
1.1MFY2020
1.3MFY2021
869KFY2022
1MFY2023
1.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$340.1K57%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$101.2K17%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$34.9K5.9%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$23.8K4.0%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$18.8K3.2%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Rio, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Rio, Virginia's figures are part of those of Albemarle County, VA ($76M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.8% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Rio is mostly in Albemarle County.

See federal money in Albemarle County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Rio, Virginia is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Albemarle County97100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Charlottesville, VA96

Other cities and towns in Albemarle County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5167288

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Rio, Virginia five years ago that improved