Gayest places in Virginia research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities in Virginia with the highest percent of same-sex households for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year vintage, which counts same-sex married spouses and same-sex unmarried partners at the city level.
6.6% gay households · #1 gayest in Virginia
3.6% gay households · #2 gayest in Virginia
Dumfries, officially the Town of Dumfries, is a town in Prince William County, Virginia. The population was 4,961 at the 2010 United States Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.7% gay households · #3 gayest in Virginia
Located in
Fauquier County, Virginia
Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,611 at the 2010 census, up from 6,670 at the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2015 was 9,897. Warrenton is the county seat of Fauquier County. It is at the junction of U.S. Route 15, U.S. Route 17, U.S. Route 29, and U.S. Route 211. The town is in the Piedmont region of Virginia, east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The well-known Airlie Conference Center is 3 miles north of Warrenton, and the historic Vint Hill Farms military facility is 9 miles east. Fauquier Hospital is located in the town. Surrounded by Virginia wine and horse country, Warrenton is a popular destination outside Washington, D.C.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.6% gay households · #4 gayest in Virginia
Located in
Shenandoah County, Virginia
Strasburg is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States, which was founded in 1761 by Peter Stover. It is the largest town by population in the county and is known for its pottery, antiques, and Civil War history. The population was 6,398 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.6% gay households · #5 gayest in Virginia
Located in
Smyth County, Virginia
Marion is a town in Smyth County, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,033 according to a 2017 count- not estimate- using local resources, information and current data. It is the county seat. The town is named for American Revolutionary War officer Francis Marion.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.6% gay households · #6 gayest in Virginia
Located in
Radford city, Virginia
Radford is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,408. For statistical purposes, the Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Radford with neighboring Montgomery County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.3% gay households · #7 gayest in Virginia
2.2% gay households · #8 gayest in Virginia
Located in
Pulaski County, Virginia
Pulaski is a town in Pulaski County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,086 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Pulaski County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.2% gay households · #9 gayest in Virginia
Located in
Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.6% gay households · #10 gayest in Virginia
Located in
Richmond city, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond Region. It was incorporated in 1742, and has been an independent city since 1871.
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Where Virginia’s LGBTQ households are
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the gayest places in Virginia for 2026
In order to rank the gayest cities in Virginia, we used Saturday Night Science and the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census. We looked at:
- Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same-sex partners
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.
We ranked each place from 1 to 87 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same-sex partner households being the most gay.
In the end, Grottoes ended up being the most gay place with 6.6% gay households.
Skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straightest.
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the gayest places in Virginia.
The full plate
Gayest Places In Virginia
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Households | LGBTQ Households | % Gay Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grottoes | 1,145 | 75 | 6.6% |
| 2 | Dumfries | 1,759 | 63 | 3.6% |
| 3 | Warrenton | 3,985 | 109 | 2.7% |
| 4 | Strasburg | 3,006 | 79 | 2.6% |
| 5 | Marion | 2,431 | 63 | 2.6% |
| 6 | Radford | 5,540 | 142 | 2.6% |
| 7 | Wise | 1,298 | 30 | 2.3% |
| 8 | Pulaski | 3,741 | 83 | 2.2% |
| 9 | Smithfield | 3,584 | 78 | 2.2% |
| 10 | Richmond | 104,321 | 1,665 | 1.6% |
| 11 | Chincoteague | 1,714 | 26 | 1.5% |
| 12 | New Market | 1,058 | 16 | 1.5% |
| 13 | Staunton | 11,309 | 157 | 1.4% |
| 14 | Alexandria | 76,096 | 1,051 | 1.4% |
| 15 | Charlottesville | 19,815 | 266 | 1.3% |
| 16 | Norfolk | 94,965 | 1,258 | 1.3% |
| 17 | Bristol | 7,226 | 95 | 1.3% |
| 18 | Hopewell | 9,255 | 117 | 1.3% |
| 19 | Portsmouth | 40,288 | 503 | 1.2% |
| 20 | Emporia | 2,157 | 26 | 1.2% |
| 21 | Luray | 2,323 | 27 | 1.2% |
| 22 | Martinsville | 5,711 | 66 | 1.2% |
| 23 | Petersburg | 15,138 | 170 | 1.1% |
| 24 | Hampton | 58,057 | 642 | 1.1% |
| 25 | Manassas | 14,203 | 156 | 1.1% |
| 26 | Abingdon | 3,999 | 42 | 1.1% |
| 27 | Covington | 2,576 | 26 | 1.0% |
| 28 | Manassas Park | 5,193 | 52 | 1.0% |
| 29 | Front Royal | 5,976 | 58 | 1.0% |
| 30 | Tazewell | 1,789 | 17 | 1.0% |
| 31 | Lynchburg | 28,701 | 257 | 0.9% |
| 32 | Chesapeake | 93,626 | 831 | 0.9% |
| 33 | Newport News | 76,112 | 667 | 0.9% |
| 34 | Norton | 1,605 | 14 | 0.9% |
| 35 | Ashland | 2,809 | 24 | 0.9% |
| 36 | Roanoke | 43,575 | 370 | 0.8% |
| 37 | Blacksburg | 13,840 | 112 | 0.8% |
| 38 | Leesburg | 16,660 | 133 | 0.8% |
| 39 | Williamsburg | 5,020 | 40 | 0.8% |
| 40 | Farmville | 2,576 | 20 | 0.8% |
| 41 | Virginia Beach | 179,851 | 1,380 | 0.8% |
| 42 | Windsor | 1,081 | 8 | 0.7% |
| 43 | Rocky Mount | 2,059 | 15 | 0.7% |
| 44 | Fredericksburg | 11,720 | 85 | 0.7% |
| 45 | Colonial Beach | 1,793 | 13 | 0.7% |
| 46 | Suffolk | 37,908 | 256 | 0.7% |
| 47 | Culpeper | 6,974 | 47 | 0.7% |
| 48 | Waynesboro | 9,841 | 66 | 0.7% |
| 49 | Christiansburg | 10,253 | 67 | 0.7% |
| 50 | Blackstone | 1,407 | 9 | 0.6% |
| 51 | Chase City | 1,103 | 7 | 0.6% |
| 52 | Salem | 10,256 | 63 | 0.6% |
| 53 | Woodstock | 2,088 | 12 | 0.6% |
| 54 | Big Stone Gap | 1,562 | 8 | 0.5% |
| 55 | Wytheville | 3,972 | 20 | 0.5% |
| 56 | Herndon | 7,796 | 39 | 0.5% |
| 57 | Winchester | 11,492 | 56 | 0.5% |
| 58 | South Hill | 2,314 | 10 | 0.4% |
| 59 | West Point | 1,473 | 6 | 0.4% |
| 60 | Fairfax | 9,155 | 37 | 0.4% |
| 61 | Buena Vista | 2,554 | 10 | 0.4% |
| 62 | Clifton Forge | 1,418 | 5 | 0.4% |
| 63 | Harrisonburg | 17,360 | 61 | 0.4% |
| 64 | Purcellville | 2,875 | 10 | 0.3% |
| 65 | Franklin | 3,454 | 11 | 0.3% |
| 66 | Danville | 19,066 | 54 | 0.3% |
| 67 | Richlands | 2,297 | 6 | 0.3% |
| 68 | Falls Church | 6,273 | 16 | 0.3% |
| 69 | Vienna | 5,553 | 13 | 0.2% |
| 70 | Colonial Heights | 7,530 | 17 | 0.2% |
| 71 | Poquoson | 4,728 | 8 | 0.2% |
| 72 | Altavista | 1,338 | 2 | 0.1% |
| 73 | Vinton | 3,655 | 4 | 0.1% |
| 74 | Broadway | 1,833 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 75 | Berryville | 1,766 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 76 | Lebanon | 1,397 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 77 | Bluefield | 2,037 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 78 | Timberville | 1,099 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 79 | Orange | 1,943 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 80 | Lexington | 2,187 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 81 | South Boston | 2,974 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 82 | Hillsville | 1,006 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 83 | Galax | 2,763 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 84 | Elkton | 1,269 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 85 | Crewe | 1,158 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 86 | Pearisburg | 1,267 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 87 | Bridgewater | 2,179 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. Places with over 1,000 households.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In Virginia For 2026
If you’re looking at the number of gay households in Virginia, this is an accurate list.
The gayest cities in Virginia are Grottoes, Dumfries, Warrenton, Strasburg, Marion, Radford, Wise, Pulaski, Smithfield, and Richmond. Not sold on Virginia? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
