At the time of its establishment in July 1820, the Diocese of Richmond encompassed the entire area shown above.

In July 1850, the Diocese of Wheeling was erected. It was redesignated as the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in 1974. At that same time, the Diocese of Arlington was established.

Presently, the Diocese of Richmond covers approximately 33,000 square miles of southern Virginia, and includes over 140 parishes.