Estimates released Monday by the University of Virginia show Virginia's population reached 7.7 million people on July 1, making the state the 12th largest in the nation.
The estimate is an increase of more than 633,000 people since the 2000 U.S. census. That's according to the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
But while Virginia's population rose, its rate of growth has dropped in recent years. Virginia has seen an increase of 324,000 people through "natural increase," which occurs when the number of births exceeds the number of deaths.
Since the last census, Virginia has also gained about 315,000 residents from migration, split about evenly between people moving to the commonwealth from other states and people from other countries.