Nelson County, Virginia
County seat: Lovingston · Population 14,920 (2025) · 471 sq mi
Nelson County is the 100th most populous of Virginia's 133 counties, with 14,920 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Lovingston. It is part of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (PD 10) region, one of the 21 Planning District Commissions of Virginia. The map shows its 0 cities and towns and the 6 neighboring counties.
Nelson County facts
- County seat
- Lovingston
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 14,920 +1% since 2020
- Land area
- 471 sq mi 32nd largest of 133
- Water area
- 4 sq mi
- Population density
- 32 per sq mi
- Established
- 1808
- Same name
- One of 3 Nelson Counties in the US
- Named after
- Thomas Nelson 4th Governor of Virginia 1738-1789
- Largest city
- Nellysford 1,584
- Median household income
- $72,589
- Cities and towns
- 0 plus 7 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 18
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 51125
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Nellysford | 1,584 | |
| Arrington | 915 | |
| Wintergreen | 500 | Augusta County |
| Shipman | 472 | |
| Lovingston | 455 | |
| Schuyler | 197 | |
| Afton | 174 | Albemarle County |
ZIP codes in Nelson County
18 ZIP codes reach into Nelson County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 22920 also Albemarle and Augusta counties
- 22922 also Amherst County
- 22938 also Albemarle County
- 22949
- 22952 also Augusta County
- 22958 also Augusta County
- 22964
- 22967 also Amherst County
- 22969 also Albemarle County
- 22971
- 22976
- 24464
- 24483 also Rockbridge and Amherst counties
- 24521 also Amherst County
- 24553 also Buckingham, Amherst and Appomattox counties
- 24562 also Buckingham and Albemarle counties
- 24581
- 24599 also Buckingham County
Population of Nelson County, 2020–2025
Nelson County grew by 151 people (+1%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 317 more deaths than births and a net gain of 481 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 14,737 |
| 2021 | 14,840 |
| 2022 | 14,687 |
| 2023 | 14,652 |
| 2024 | 14,817 |
| 2025 | 14,920 |
Neighboring counties
- Amherst County southwest · 31,962 people
- Augusta County northwest · 78,940 people
- Albemarle County northeast · 118,356 people
- Buckingham County southeast · 17,137 people
- Rockbridge County west · 22,663 people
- Appomattox County south · 17,172 people
Printable Nelson 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) (126 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (104 KB)
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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.
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