Amherst County, Virginia
County seat: Amherst · Population 31,962 (2025) · 474 sq mi
Amherst County is the 57th most populous of Virginia's 133 counties, with 31,962 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Amherst. It is part of the Central Virginia Planning District Commission (PD 11) region, one of the 21 Planning District Commissions of Virginia. The map shows its 1 city or town and the 6 neighboring counties.
Amherst County facts
- County seat
- Amherst
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 31,962 +2.1% since 2020
- Land area
- 474 sq mi 30th largest of 133
- Water area
- 5 sq mi
- Population density
- 67 per sq mi
- Established
- 1761
- Named after
- Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst British Army officer (1717–1797)
- Largest city
- Madison Heights 10,266
- Median household income
- $68,724
- Cities and towns
- 1 plus 1 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 9
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 51009
Cities and towns in Amherst County
Amherst County has 1 incorporated place. Populations count the people living inside Amherst County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst (county seat) | Town | 2,146 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Madison Heights | 10,266 |
ZIP codes in Amherst County
9 ZIP codes reach into Amherst County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 22922 also Nelson County
- 22967 also Nelson County
- 24483 also Rockbridge and Nelson counties
- 24521 also Nelson County
- 24526 also Bedford County
- 24553 also Buckingham, Nelson and Appomattox counties
- 24572
- 24574
- 24595
Population of Amherst County, 2020–2025
Amherst County grew by 649 people (+2.1%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 576 more deaths than births and a net gain of 1,206 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 31,312 |
| 2021 | 31,403 |
| 2022 | 31,525 |
| 2023 | 31,557 |
| 2024 | 31,653 |
| 2025 | 31,962 |
Neighboring counties
- Nelson County northeast · 14,920 people
- Rockbridge County northwest · 22,663 people
- Bedford County southwest · 83,059 people
- Appomattox County southeast · 17,172 people
- Lynchburg city south · 81,347 people
- Campbell County south · 55,629 people
Printable Amherst County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (114 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (93 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
Back to the Virginia county map with all 133 counties. Found an error? Tell us.