The Surprising Places Washingtonians Will Live in 2040

This is an excerpt from our package of articles about what Washington will look like over the next few decades. For the full package, see our April 2015 issue—on newsstands now, or purchase the digital edition optimized for your tablet here—and come back to the website for more stories over the next few weeks.

Kid-Friendly Areas

Places with the most residents 19 and younger in 2040 (by percentage of total population):

Loudoun County – 31.9%

Stafford County – 30.6%

Prince William County – 29.7%

Spotsylvania County – 28.2%

King George County – 28.0%

Retirement Spots

The most members of the 65-and-up crowd will settle in these counties by 2040 (by percentage of total population):

Howard County – 22.8%

Frederick County – 22.4%

Fauquier County – 21.9%

Charles County – 21.4%

Anne Arundel County – 20.5%

Hipster Havens

That is, if the future’s young adults are anything like millennials. Here’s where the most 20-to-44-year-olds will reside in 2040 (by percentage of total population):

Arlington County – 51.1%

Loudoun County – 38.9%

Prince William County – 36.1%

Prince George’s and Fairfax counties – 35.8%

DC – 35%*

*This projection is for 2030. Sources: Maryland Department of Planning, University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Urban Institute.

This article appears in our April 2015 issue of Washingtonian.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.