In this article, we will explore some of the most liberal cities in Virginia, where progressive ideas and inclusive attitudes flourish.
If you’re looking to move to Virginia and want to know where the majority of Virginians lean left, you’ve come to the right place.
Specifically, we wanted to know which cities have the highest number of liberal voters in the Old Dominion.
To do so, we analyzed how the people in each city in Virginia with a population greater than 5,000 voted during the last presidential election. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Democrat were named the most liberal cities in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Most Liberal Places In Virginia For 2026:
If you’re wondering, Richlands is the most conservative city in Virginia of all those we measured.
And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then, we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most liberal cities in Virginia.
And if you already knew these places were liberal, check out some more reading about Virginia and the most liberal places in the country:
The 10 Most Liberal Places In Virginia For 2026
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How we determined the most liberal cities in Virginia for 2026
To find the most liberal places in Virginia, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most liberals.
Straight forward.
We started by making a list of every city in Virginia over 5,000 people based on the 2020-2024 American Community Survey. That left us with 62 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places lean the most leftward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For Democratic President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Democrats, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
The winner, Petersburg, is “The Most liberal City in Virginia For 2026”. The most conservative place in Virginia was Richlands.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most liberal places to live in Virginia.
Summing Up The Liberal Snowflakes in Virginia
Well, there you have it, the places in Virginia that have the highest number of liberals per capita, with Petersburg ranking as the least conservative in the entire state.
The most liberal cities in Virginia are Petersburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Falls Church, Alexandria, Norfolk, Hampton, Herndon, Vienna, and Williamsburg.
If you’re curious, here are the least liberal cities in Virginia:
- Richlands
- Big Stone Gap
- Wytheville
For more Virginia reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Virginia
- Cheapest Places To Live In Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In Virginia
- Richest Cities In Virginia
- Safest Places In Virginia
- Worst Cities In Virginia For 2017
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Virginia
Most Liberal Places In Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | % Liberal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petersburg, VA | 33,537 | 87.7% |
| 2 | Charlottesville, VA | 45,437 | 85.5% |
| 3 | Richmond, VA | 229,359 | 82.9% |
| 4 | Falls Church, VA | 14,710 | 81.0% |
| 5 | Alexandria, VA | 156,976 | 80.3% |
| 6 | Norfolk, VA | 233,596 | 71.6% |
| 7 | Hampton, VA | 137,557 | 70.1% |
| 8 | Herndon, VA | 24,672 | 69.8% |
| 9 | Vienna, VA | 16,412 | 69.8% |
| 10 | Williamsburg, VA | 15,798 | 69.5% |
| 11 | Portsmouth, VA | 97,190 | 69.4% |
| 12 | Fairfax, VA | 25,026 | 68.0% |
| 13 | Emporia, VA | 5,547 | 67.6% |
| 14 | Fredericksburg, VA | 28,873 | 66.1% |
| 15 | Manassas Park, VA | 16,798 | 65.6% |
| 16 | Newport News, VA | 184,216 | 65.3% |
| 17 | Lexington, VA | 7,525 | 64.8% |
| 18 | Harrisonburg, VA | 51,392 | 64.5% |
| 19 | Dumfries, VA | 5,816 | 62.6% |
| 20 | Martinsville, VA | 13,658 | 62.5% |
| 21 | Franklin, VA | 8,250 | 62.1% |
| 22 | Roanoke, VA | 98,355 | 61.8% |
| 23 | Leesburg, VA | 49,171 | 61.5% |
| 24 | Purcellville, VA | 8,973 | 61.5% |
| 25 | Manassas, VA | 42,976 | 61.0% |
| 26 | Danville, VA | 42,214 | 60.2% |
| 27 | Suffolk, VA | 98,796 | 57.8% |
| 28 | Hopewell, VA | 22,959 | 56.4% |
| 29 | Winchester, VA | 27,913 | 54.6% |
| 30 | Staunton, VA | 25,948 | 53.7% |
| 31 | Radford, VA | 16,726 | 53.1% |
| 32 | Chesapeake, VA | 252,583 | 52.2% |
| 33 | Farmville, VA | 7,774 | 51.9% |
| 34 | Blacksburg, VA | 45,446 | 51.6% |
| 35 | Christiansburg, VA | 22,720 | 51.6% |
| 36 | Virginia Beach, VA | 456,349 | 51.6% |
| 37 | Lynchburg, VA | 79,497 | 49.6% |
| 38 | Waynesboro, VA | 22,841 | 46.3% |
| 39 | South Boston, VA | 7,853 | 42.0% |
| 40 | Warrenton, VA | 10,176 | 40.2% |
| 41 | Smithfield, VA | 8,834 | 40.1% |
| 42 | Salem, VA | 25,618 | 39.4% |
| 43 | Culpeper, VA | 20,794 | 39.2% |
| 44 | Orange, VA | 5,066 | 38.5% |
| 45 | Vinton, VA | 8,056 | 38.1% |
| 46 | Covington, VA | 5,680 | 37.0% |
| 47 | Ashland, VA | 7,772 | 35.6% |
| 48 | Colonial Heights, VA | 18,352 | 32.4% |
| 49 | Front Royal, VA | 15,296 | 31.2% |
| 50 | Buena Vista, VA | 6,593 | 29.7% |