In Medill's 2026 data, Virginia has 146 newspapers, 75 digital-only news sites, 4 public broadcasters and 16 local TV newsrooms. Of its 133 counties, 16 have no local news source, and 64 have only one source. That is 1.6 newspapers for every 100,000 residents, against 1.6 nationally.
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Book a call with Todd| Measure | Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Newspapers | 146 | 5,523 |
| Digital-only news sites | 75 | 1,926 |
| Public broadcasters | 4 | 342 |
| Local TV newsrooms | 16 | 678 |
| Newspapers per 100,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Counties with no local news source | 16 | 238 |
| Counties with only one | 64 | 1,478 |
| Counties | 133 | 3,144 |
How Virginia compares
- Virginia has 1.6 newspapers for every 100,000 residents, tied for 27th highest of the 50 states and DC. The national figure is 1.6.
- Of the other states, one has more counties with no local news source than Virginia.
- The county with the most local news sources is Fairfax, with 12.
Map: local news by county
Code to put this map on your site
Counties with no local news source
In Medill's 2026 data, these counties have no newspaper, digital news site, public broadcaster or local TV newsroom: Appomattox, Bath, Bland, Buckingham, Caroline, Charles City, Clarke, Cumberland, Emporia city, Greensville, King George, King and Queen, Mathews, Northampton, Prince George, Sussex.
Every county in Virginia
| County | Newspapers | Digital sites | Public broadcasters | Local TV | Local news sources | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accomack | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Albemarle | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | Two or more |
| Alexandria city | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | Two or more |
| Alleghany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Amelia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Amherst | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Appomattox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Arlington | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | Two or more |
| Augusta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Bath | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Bedford | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Two or more |
| Bland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Botetourt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Bristol city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Two or more |
| Brunswick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Buchanan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Buckingham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Buena Vista city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Campbell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Caroline | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Carroll | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Charles City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Charlotte | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Charlottesville city | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | Two or more |
| Chesapeake city | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Chesterfield | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | Two or more |
| Clarke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Colonial Heights city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Covington city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Craig | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Culpeper | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Cumberland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Danville city | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Dickenson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Dinwiddie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Emporia city | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Essex | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Fairfax | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | Two or more |
| Fairfax city | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Falls Church city | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Fauquier | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Floyd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Fluvanna | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Franklin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Franklin city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Frederick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Fredericksburg city | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Two or more |
| Galax city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Giles | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Gloucester | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Goochland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Grayson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Greene | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Greensville | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Halifax | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Hampton city | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Hanover | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Harrisonburg city | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Two or more |
| Henrico | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | Two or more |
| Henry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Highland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Hopewell city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Isle of Wight | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| James City | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Two or more |
| King George | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| King William | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| King and Queen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Lancaster | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Lee | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Lexington city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Loudoun | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Two or more |
| Louisa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Lunenburg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Lynchburg city | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | Two or more |
| Madison | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Manassas Park city | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Two or more |
| Manassas city | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Two or more |
| Martinsville city | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Mathews | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Mecklenburg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Middlesex | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Montgomery | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Nelson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| New Kent | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Newport News city | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Norfolk city | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | Two or more |
| Northampton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Northumberland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Norton city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Nottoway | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Orange | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Page | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Patrick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Petersburg city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Pittsylvania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Poquoson city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Portsmouth city | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | Two or more |
| Powhatan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Prince Edward | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Prince George | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Prince William | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Two or more |
| Pulaski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Radford city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Rappahannock | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Richmond | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Richmond city | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 10 | Two or more |
| Roanoke | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | Two or more |
| Roanoke city | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | Two or more |
| Rockbridge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Rockingham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Russell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Salem city | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Two or more |
| Scott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Shenandoah | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Smyth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Southampton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Spotsylvania | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Two or more |
| Stafford | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Two or more |
| Staunton city | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Suffolk city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Surry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Sussex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | News desert |
| Tazewell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Virginia Beach city | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Two or more |
| Warren | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Washington | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Waynesboro city | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Westmoreland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Williamsburg city | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Two or more |
| Winchester city | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | One source |
| Wise | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| Wythe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Two or more |
| York | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Two or more |
Neighboring states
Virginia borders District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Closest to Virginia (1.6) on newspapers per 100,000 residents: Colorado (1.6) and Maine (1.6).
Use this data
Virginia alone: Virginia by county, 2026 (CSV). Every county in the country is in one file: news outlets by county, 2026 (CSV). State totals are in news outlets by state (CSV) and news deserts by state (CSV). Credit the Medill Local News Initiative for the figures, and link to this page or to news deserts by state, which has every state side by side and a lookup you can put on your own site.
Put these figures on your site
You are welcome to embed this card on your own site. It shows Virginia's figures from Medill's 2026 data and links back to this page. Copy this code. On narrow pages, raise the height to 500.
Getting a story onto local news sites
A feature story placed through a syndication network can run on local news sites in many states at once. How to get your brand on local news sites explains how that works, and local news statistics has the national picture.
Questions
How many news deserts are in Virginia?
Of its 133 counties, 16: Appomattox, Bath, Bland, Buckingham, Caroline, Charles City, Clarke, Cumberland, Emporia city, Greensville, King George, King and Queen, and 4 more listed on this page. A news desert is a county with no newspaper, digital news site, public broadcaster or local TV newsroom, in Medill's 2026 data.
How many newspapers are in Virginia?
146, in Medill's 2026 data. That is 1.6 for every 100,000 residents, against 1.6 for the whole country.
Which Virginia county has the most local news sources?
Fairfax, with 12: 4 newspapers, 8 digital sites, no public broadcasters and no local TV newsrooms, in Medill's 2026 data.
How this page was made
Outlet counts and news deserts come from the Medill Local News Initiative's 2026 data: the state figures on its map (read November 8, 2026) and the outlet list and county data behind it (read November 9). NewsUSA counted the outlets by county and checked on every build that the counties add up to Medill's state figures. Population is the US Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimate. How these guides are made.