Most Native American places in Virginia research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the Virginia cities with the highest percentage of Native American residents for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 vintage, which breaks down race by origin.
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The city with the highest percentage of Native Americans is Buena Vista. 1.26% of people in Buena Vista are Native Americans.
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The city with the lowest percentage of Native Americans is Martinsville. 0.00% of people in Martinsville are Native American.
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The city with the most Native Americans is Norfolk. 626 people in Norfolk are Native American.
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The city with the fewest Native Americans is Martinsville. 0 people in Martinsville are Native American.
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The United States has 1,698,432 Native Americans and is 0.51% Native American.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Cities In Virginia With The Largest Native American Population For 2026
Which city in Virginia had the largest Native American population? The place with the largest Native American population in Virginia for 2026 is Buena Vista. 1.26 of Buena Vista identify as Native American.
To see where Virginia ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.
And if you already knew these places were Native American, check out the best places to live in Virginia or the most diverse places in Virginia.
Read below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
Cities In Virginia With The Largest Native American Population For 2026
/10
Population: 6,593
# Of Native American Residents: 83
% Native American: 1.26%
More on Buena Vista: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,525
# Of Native American Residents: 25
% Native American: 0.33%
More on Lexington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,162
# Of Native American Residents: 17
% Native American: 0.33%
More on Big Stone Gap: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 233,596
# Of Native American Residents: 626
% Native American: 0.27%
More on Norfolk: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,774
# Of Native American Residents: 20
% Native American: 0.26%
More on Farmville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 137,557
# Of Native American Residents: 339
% Native American: 0.25%
More on Hampton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 8,330
# Of Native American Residents: 20
% Native American: 0.24%
More on Abingdon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 25,618
# Of Native American Residents: 60
% Native American: 0.23%
More on Salem: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 184,216
# Of Native American Residents: 420
% Native American: 0.23%
More on Newport News: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 15,798
# Of Native American Residents: 35
% Native American: 0.22%
More on Williamsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Virginia With The Largest Native American Population For 2026
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Virginia.
We used Saturday Night Science to analyze the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 American Community Survey data.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people identifying as American Indian and Alaska Native alone.
We limited our analysis to places with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 59 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are American Indian and Alaska Native. The percentages ranked from 1.26 to 0.00.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the American Indian and Alaska Native population, with a higher score being more American Indian and Alaska Native than a lower score. Buena Vista took the distinction of being the most American Indian and Alaska Native, while Martinsville was the least Native American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Virginia with the largest Native American population.
Summary: Native American Populations Across Virginia
If you’re looking for a breakdown of Native American populations across Virginia according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The most Native American cities in Virginia are Buena Vista, Lexington, Big Stone Gap, Norfolk, Farmville, Hampton, Abingdon, Salem, Newport News, and Williamsburg.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least Native American places in Virginia:
- Martinsville
- Front Royal
- Bridgewater
For more Virginia reading, check out:
Most Native American Places In Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | Native American Population | % Native American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buena Vista | 6,593 | 83 | 1.26% |
| 2 | Lexington | 7,525 | 25 | 0.33% |
| 3 | Big Stone Gap | 5,162 | 17 | 0.33% |
| 4 | Norfolk | 233,596 | 626 | 0.27% |
| 5 | Farmville | 7,774 | 20 | 0.26% |
| 6 | Hampton | 137,557 | 339 | 0.25% |
| 7 | Abingdon | 8,330 | 20 | 0.24% |
| 8 | Salem | 25,618 | 60 | 0.23% |
| 9 | Newport News | 184,216 | 420 | 0.23% |
| 10 | Williamsburg | 15,798 | 35 | 0.22% |
| 11 | Portsmouth | 97,190 | 189 | 0.19% |
| 12 | Galax | 6,726 | 13 | 0.19% |
| 13 | Colonial Heights | 18,352 | 34 | 0.19% |
| 14 | Winchester | 27,913 | 41 | 0.15% |
| 15 | Pulaski | 8,893 | 13 | 0.15% |
| 16 | Blacksburg | 45,446 | 66 | 0.15% |
| 17 | Fairfax | 25,026 | 36 | 0.14% |
| 18 | Alexandria | 156,976 | 217 | 0.14% |
| 19 | Poquoson | 12,639 | 17 | 0.13% |
| 20 | Chesapeake | 252,583 | 309 | 0.12% |
| 21 | Fredericksburg | 28,873 | 34 | 0.12% |
| 22 | Virginia Beach | 456,349 | 502 | 0.11% |
| 23 | Staunton | 25,948 | 28 | 0.11% |
| 24 | Richmond | 229,359 | 244 | 0.11% |
| 25 | Marion | 5,670 | 6 | 0.11% |
| 26 | Purcellville | 8,973 | 9 | 0.1% |
| 27 | Warrenton | 10,176 | 10 | 0.1% |
| 28 | Manassas | 42,976 | 42 | 0.1% |
| 29 | Waynesboro | 22,841 | 22 | 0.1% |
| 30 | Suffolk | 98,796 | 93 | 0.09% |
| 31 | Herndon | 24,672 | 23 | 0.09% |
| 32 | Roanoke | 98,355 | 90 | 0.09% |
| 33 | Christiansburg | 22,720 | 18 | 0.08% |
| 34 | Lynchburg | 79,497 | 55 | 0.07% |
| 35 | Petersburg | 33,537 | 22 | 0.07% |
| 36 | Smithfield | 8,834 | 5 | 0.06% |
| 37 | Ashland | 7,772 | 4 | 0.05% |
| 38 | Wytheville | 8,202 | 4 | 0.05% |
| 39 | Radford | 16,726 | 8 | 0.05% |
| 40 | Danville | 42,214 | 20 | 0.05% |
| 41 | Vienna | 16,412 | 7 | 0.04% |
| 42 | Charlottesville | 45,437 | 15 | 0.03% |
| 43 | Leesburg | 49,171 | 16 | 0.03% |
| 44 | Hopewell | 22,959 | 6 | 0.03% |
| 45 | Harrisonburg | 51,392 | 7 | 0.01% |
| 46 | Vinton | 8,056 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 47 | Falls Church | 14,710 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 48 | Emporia | 5,547 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 49 | Manassas Park | 16,798 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 50 | South Boston | 7,853 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 51 | Strasburg | 7,214 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 52 | Culpeper | 20,794 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 53 | Franklin | 8,250 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 54 | Covington | 5,680 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 55 | Richlands | 5,171 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 56 | Bristol | 16,849 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 57 | Bridgewater | 6,708 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 58 | Front Royal | 15,296 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 59 | Martinsville | 13,658 | 0 | 0.0% |