>>VA's Post-Pandemic Rural Population Includes New Affluent Neighbors
(Undated) -- An analysis of Virgina's newest rural residents shows they earn more money than the ones who moved in before the pandemic. Rebecca Hughes reports.Preview: Voicer Script:
The pandemic accelerated a trend of people moving out of metro areas into rural regions like those along the Blue Ridge Mountains and Chesapeake Bay. The Cardinal News looked at IRS data and found that incomes of newcomers in Virginia have increased significantly post-pandemic, with some counties experiencing income jumps of up to 92%. This influx of affluent residents drives up housing prices and skews school funding formulas, while also boosting local economies through increased disposable income and new business formation. The migration is attributed to factors such as natural amenities, remote work opportunities, and the clustering of remote workers within driving distance of major metros and rural resort communities.