FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2025

Charlottesville Joins Albemarle in First Unified Community Wellbeing Profiles

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville, and the Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Virginia have released the 2025 Albemarle County and Charlottesville Community Wellbeing Profiles, offering updated, data-rich insights into the region’s health, education, housing, and economic conditions. These reports provide residents with the information they need to make informed decisions about their quality of life, while equipping community organizations, service providers, and local governments with information to guide programs, service delivery, and funding decisions.

First published in 2021 as a report on Albemarle County, the updated 2025 Community Wellbeing Profiles now include separate reports for Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville, as well as a combined Charlottesville/Albemarle report. The reports track key quality-of-life indicators and serve as a tool for understanding progress and identifying ongoing challenges.

“This data gives us a clearer picture of where needs exist in our community,” said Albemarle County Chief Human Services Officer Kaki Dimock. “By bringing this information back to our programs and services, we can identify where we can make the most impact. Human Services will use these insights to set priorities, shape programs, and guide budget decisions so we can reach and support our most vulnerable populations.”

The profiles reveal both gains and areas for concern:

• In the area of health, life expectancy in the region remains slightly above the national average. Additionally, while the rate of mental health providers has risen by 60%, Virginia still ranks 38th nationally for mental health workforce availability.
• In terms of economic security and housing, median earnings have risen by about 20%, but rising living costs leave many households struggling to meet basic needs. More than half of all renters spend over 30% of their income on housing, and eviction filings are nearing pre-pandemic levels.
• In education, over 60% of adults hold a college degree, and school enrollment has remained steady despite the pandemic. However, residents haven’t benefitted equally from this rise, with 26% of Black residents and 40% of Hispanic residents earning a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 66% of white residents. 

“We at the Center for Community Partnerships are grateful to support work that promotes both a shared understanding of our collective well-being and community action,” said Michele Claibourn, Director of Community-Centered Analysis at the Center for Community Partnerships. We're especially excited about this study as it gave us a chance to continue our partnership with Albemarle County while expanding our relationship with Charlottesville in a way that better reflects how the larger community sees itself.”

The full profiles and one-page summaries for Albemarle County and Charlottesville are available at https://communitypartnerships.virginia.edu/research/albemarle-and-charlottesville-community-wellbeing-profiles

“The findings of this well-being study provide our region with a clear and compelling picture of the progress we've made, as well as the systemic challenges that still require our collective action,” said Ashley Reynolds Marshall, City of Charlottesville's Deputy City Manager for Social Equity. “This data is critical because it illuminates where inequities persist and, most importantly, where we can focus our efforts to create the greatest positive impact. By strengthening our partnerships across jurisdictions and with community organizations, we are committed to ensuring that Charlottesville becomes a community where every resident not only has the opportunity to succeed but can genuinely thrive."

At a Glance: Key 2025 Findings 

• Life Expectancy: Slightly above the national average from 2020 to 2023, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Mental Health Care: Rate of providers up 60% since 2016, but Virginia ranks 38th nationally in provider availability.
• Insurance Coverage: Approximately 6% of residents are uninsured; notably, 24% of Hispanic residents lack health coverage.
• Housing Costs: More than half of renters, approximately 12,800 households, are rent-burdened, meaning they spend over 30% of their income on housing. 
• Evictions: In 2024, there were over 1,700 eviction filings in Charlottesville and Albemarle, approaching pre-pandemic levels.
• Homelessness: While the number of unhoused people appeared to decline based on the Point-in-Time count, in the wider region, there are 1,800 people estimated to be living with others because of economic hardship or housing loss.
• Education: Over 60% of adults hold a college degree; school enrollment among young people aged 3 to 24 years remains stable at 86%. 
• Child Care: There are roughly 6,200 children under six with working parents in Charlottesville and Albemarle, and around 6,000 childcare slots.
• Civic Engagement: The presence of voluntary associations promotes social capital in a region; the Charlottesville and Albemarle region has more than 200 membership organizations, or 13 organizations per 10,000 residents.

For further information about the Albemarle County and Charlottesville Community Wellbeing Profiles, please contact:

Afton Schneider, City of Charlottesville, schneidera@charlottesville.gov
Abbey Stumpf, Albemarle County, astumpf@albemarle.org
Sydney Shuler, Center for Community Partnerships at UVA, vrh7de@virginia.edu

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About the Center for Community Partnerships at UVA:
In 2019, the community was called upon to understand how the University of Virginia could work towards its goal of being both great and good, and they answered. Over 3,000 survey respondents stated that the University should leverage the past sentiments of students, faculty, staff, and community members alike.   

As an anchor institution, aspiring to be a good neighbor, the University has made a commitment to intentionally apply its place-based economic power and human capital in partnership with the local community to mutually benefit the long-term well-being of both. The Center for Community Partnerships plays an important part in carrying forward this mission. Our work in this area is evolving as we seek to establish more partnerships and to reciprocally engage with our neighbors in response to the needs and opportunities that are identified. 

Learn more: https://communitypartnerships.virginia.edu/

Media Contacts
Afton Schneider
Director of Communications and Public Engagement
City of Charlottesville
434-996-0331
schneidera@charlottesville.gov

Abbey Stumpf
Director of Communications & Public Engagement
Albemarle County
434-296-5841 x3368
astumpf@albemarle.org

Sydney Shuler
Communications Specialist
UVA Center for Community Partnerships
908-217-1425
vrh7de@virginia.edu