Virgo personality traits and characteristics
Astrology ties your sign to useful attention. You walk into a kitchen and see the drawer that sticks and the one recipe step everyone skips. You may say nothing at first, but you remember, and a week later the drawer has been sanded.
Mercury, the planet of thinking and talk, rules Virgo, and here it is said to work at its best. The tradition gives you a sorting mind that likes lists, categories and the right word for the thing. Gemini, Mercury's other sign, collects information for the fun of it. You want to know what the information is for.
Earth makes you practical. You trust what you can check, prefer small steady habits to grand plans, and tend to show love through service more than through speeches. Mutable means adaptable: Virgo season comes at the end of summer, as the weather turns, and you are good at adjusting a plan that has stopped working.
The same critical eye turns inward. You hold yourself to the standard you apply to everything else, and often to a stricter one.
Virgo qualities: strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Reliable in the plain sense: if you said you would do it, it gets done, and done properly. Astrology credits you with a good memory for detail and patience with tedious work. It also credits a talent for teaching, since you can break a task into steps someone else can follow.
You are also modest and would rather let the work speak, which makes you easy to work with.
Weaknesses
Criticism is the classic weakness, and it often comes out as a helpful correction no one asked for. Turned inward, it becomes worry: replaying a conversation at 2 a.m., redoing a task that was fine.
You can also hold back from anything you cannot do well yet, and treat rest as something to be earned.
Virgo in love
In love you are careful at the start. You watch before you commit, and the first sign of interest is often practical: you remember how someone takes their coffee, or you fix the thing they mentioned was broken. Grand declarations feel risky, and consistency feels safer.
What attracts you, in the tradition, is competence and honesty: a person who means what they say, keeps their word and does not need managing. Once committed, you are loyal and steady. Friction comes when a partner hears a steady stream of small fixes as "you are never good enough," even when you mean "I care how your day goes."
Venus, the planet of love, is in its fall in Virgo, which the tradition reads as love that has to learn to accept imperfection. That applies only to people whose Venus is also in Virgo, not to every Virgo Sun.
The Virgo man and woman
Virgo man
The Virgo man, as astrology describes him, is reserved at first and dry-humored once he knows you. He shows interest by helping, whether that means driving you to the airport or sending the article he mentioned. He keeps his home, budget or calendar in some kind of order, even if the order makes sense only to him.
He can be hard on himself about work and slow to talk about feelings. When he goes quiet, astrology sees a Virgo working a problem through in private before he says anything, often a problem he thinks is his to fix. Ask him directly; he respects plain questions.
Virgo woman
The Virgo woman is capable and observant, the friend who has a plan, a spare charger and a sensible opinion. She is warm with a few people rather than many, and she notices when someone is struggling before they say so.
In love she wants a partner who pulls their weight. She may downplay her own needs to keep things running, so a partner who asks what she wants, and listens, earns a lot of trust.
Virgo compatibility with every sign
In astrology Virgo gets along most easily with the other earth signs, Taurus and Capricorn, and with the water signs two places away, Cancer and Scorpio. Pisces, the opposite sign, and the squares Gemini and Sagittarius bring more friction and often more attraction.
| With | Sign relationship | Elements | In the tradition |
|---|---|---|---|
| ♈︎ Aries | quincunx | earth and fire | needs adjusting |
| ♉︎ Taurus | trine | both earth | flows easily |
| ♊︎ Gemini | square | earth and air | friction and pull |
| ♋︎ Cancer | sextile | earth and water | flows easily |
| ♌︎ Leo | semi-sextile | earth and fire | needs adjusting |
| ♍︎ Virgo | same sign | both earth | flows easily |
| ♎︎ Libra | semi-sextile | earth and air | needs adjusting |
| ♏︎ Scorpio | sextile | earth and water | flows easily |
| ♐︎ Sagittarius | square | earth and fire | friction and pull |
| ♑︎ Capricorn | trine | both earth | flows easily |
| ♒︎ Aquarius | quincunx | earth and air | needs adjusting |
| ♓︎ Pisces | opposition | earth and water | friction and pull |
The sign relationship is the distance around the zodiac between the two Sun signs. The Sun is one planet of ten: to compare whole charts, enter both birth dates in the compatibility calculator or, with every planet by exact degree, the synastry chart calculator.
Virgo as the rising sign, the sign on the eastern horizon at birth, reads differently from the Sun in Virgo: see Virgo rising.
Virgo shares its element with Taurus and Capricorn. How the three earth signs differ, and how much earth your own chart holds: earth signs. How earth gets on with the other three: zodiac elements and their compatibility.
Work and money
Virgo is the sign of craft and service in astrology, linked with the sixth house of daily work and health. Jobs that reward accuracy suit you: editing, accounting, nursing, medicine, research, engineering, and any trade where the details decide the result. You are often the person who keeps a team's system running.
With money the tradition makes you careful, with budgets, comparison shopping and a plan for the bill before it comes. The risk is overwork, and saying yes to every request because you can do it well.
How much Virgo is in your chart?
Enter your birth date. The check looks at the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars, counts how many were in this sign, and, if your Sun was there, names your decan.
Example: September 6, 1994, Eastern time.
♍︎ Virgo in your chart: 1 of 5 (+1 depends on birth time)
On September 6, 1994: Sun in Virgo; Moon changed signs that day, so add your birth time.
- ☉ Sun: Virgo
- ☽ Moon: Virgo or Libra
- ☿ Mercury: Libra
- ♀ Venus: Libra
- ♂ Mars: Cancer
Your decan: the second (10° to 20° of Virgo, Sun at 13°49′). In the classical table of faces it belongs to Venus. Usual dates: Sep 2 to Sep 11.
For the Moon, Venus, Mars and every other planet in one place, use the zodiac sign calculator.
Mercury, Venus and Mars next to this Sun
Among everyone born with the Sun here from 1930 to 2025, Mercury shares the sign in 49.9% of cases, sits in Libra in 35.8% and in Leo in the other 14.4%. A Virgo with Mercury in Leo tends to sound more theatrical; with Mercury in Libra, more diplomatic.
Venus is more often in Leo (30.3%) than in the Sun's own sign (25%), so for most of these people love runs on another sign's rules. Counting the Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars together, 29.6% have none of the four alongside the Sun and 45.9% have exactly one. The reverse also holds: on 25.4% of birth dates with the Sun in another sign, at least one of those four planets is here. That may be one reason many people who are not Virgos by Sun sign recognize themselves in the description.
| Planet | Where it is for people with this Sun sign, 1930–2025 |
|---|---|
| ☿ Mercury | Virgo49.9%, Libra35.8%, Leo14.4% |
| ♀ Venus | Leo30.3%, Libra25.7%, Virgo25%, Scorpio10.4%, Cancer8.5% |
| ♂ Mars | Virgo15.6%, Libra15.1%, Leo14.9%, Cancer12.9%, other signs less |
Our count of all 35,064 dates from 1930 to 2025, at noon UTC: 2,967 of them have the Sun in this sign.
When is Virgo season? 2026 and 2027 dates
Virgo season is the stretch of the year when the Sun is in Virgo. In 2026 it starts on August 22 at 10:18 p.m. EDT and ends on September 22 at 8:05 p.m. EDT, when the Sun moves into Libra. In 2027 the Sun arrives on August 23 at 4:13 a.m. EDT and leaves on September 23 at 2:01 a.m. EDT. The minute shifts every year, which is why a birthday on the first or last day can belong to either sign.
| Season | Starts (Eastern) | Ends (Eastern) | Starts (Pacific) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgo 2026 | Aug 22, 10:18 p.m. EDT | Sep 22, 8:05 p.m. EDT | Aug 22, 7:18 p.m. PDT | 30.9 days |
| Virgo 2027 | Aug 23, 4:13 a.m. EDT | Sep 23, 2:01 a.m. EDT | Aug 23, 1:13 a.m. PDT | 30.9 days |
Moments of the Sun's entry into Virgo and into Libra, from the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac), rounded to the minute. What the coming year holds for the sign: Virgo horoscope 2027.
Virgo birth dates by year
Virgo runs from Aug 23 to Sep 22 in most lists. The Sun reaches Virgo at a different hour each year, so the first day moves. In US Eastern time, from 1930 to 2025, Virgo began on Aug 23 in 68 years and on Aug 22 in 28 years; Libra took over on Sep 23 in 59 and on Sep 22 in 37.
First day of the sign by decade
| Births in | Virgo began on (Eastern) |
|---|---|
| 1930s | Aug 23 (10) |
| 1940s | Aug 23 (10) |
| 1950s | Aug 23 (10) |
| 1960s | Aug 23 (7), Aug 22 (3) |
| 1970s | Aug 23 (8), Aug 22 (2) |
| 1980s | Aug 23 (6), Aug 22 (4) |
| 1990s | Aug 23 (6), Aug 22 (4) |
| 2000s | Aug 22 (6), Aug 23 (4) |
| 2010s | Aug 23 (6), Aug 22 (4) |
| 2020s | Aug 22 (5), Aug 23 (1) |
Number of years in each decade. 2020s: 2020 to 2025.
Born on a border day? Each one has its own page with the hour of the change for every year: Aug 23 · Aug 22 · Sep 23 · Sep 22.
By birth month, with a calendar of every day: August zodiac signs: Leo or Virgo · September zodiac signs: Virgo or Libra. All twelve months: zodiac signs by month.
Virgo decans
Each sign is split into three 10° parts called decans. The Sun moves about one degree a day, so a decan lasts about ten days.
| Decan | Usual dates | Ruler (classical faces) | Ruler (modern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First, 0° to 10° | Aug 23 – Sep 1 | the Sun | Mercury |
| Second, 10° to 20° | Sep 2 – Sep 11 (starts this day in 78 of 96 years) | Venus | Saturn |
| Third, 20° to 30° | Sep 12 – Sep 22 (starts this day in 63 of 96 years) | Mercury | Venus |
Start dates in US Eastern time, 1930–2025. Classical rulers from the table of faces (Chaldean order, as in Lilly's Christian Astrology); modern rulers as listed in Wikipedia's "Decan (astrology)".
Virgo symbol, ruler and element
Virgo's symbol is the Maiden, often shown holding an ear of wheat. In Greek myth the sign is linked with Astraea, the last of the immortals to leave Earth, and with Demeter, goddess of the harvest, or her daughter Persephone. The Sun passes through Virgo at harvest time in the Northern Hemisphere, and the brightest star of the Virgo constellation is Spica, Latin for "ear of grain."
Mercury rules Virgo and is also exalted there, the only planet that is both ruler and exalted in the same sign. Astrologers cite that double strength when they describe the Virgo mind. Pisces, the opposite sign, is where Mercury is weakest, so the pair is read as detail against the big blur: one sorts, the other dissolves the categories.
In tarot, the Golden Dawn gave Virgo the card The Hermit: what it means upright, reversed and in love. Your Sun sign is the Sun's place at birth, and the Sun has a card of its own, The Sun. All 22 cards with their signs: tarot card meanings.
The card of Mercury, the ruler of Virgo, is The Magician. Earth, the element of Virgo, belongs to The World.
Other planets in Virgo
Your Sun sign is one placement. If another planet was in this sign when you were born, its page reads that part of you: ☽ Moon · ☿ Mercury · ♀ Venus · ♂ Mars · ♃ Jupiter · ♄ Saturn · ♅ Uranus · ♆ Neptune · ♇ Pluto · ☊ North Node · ⚸ Black Moon Lilith.
Famous Virgo people
- Sean Connery, Scottish actorAug 25, 1930
- Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer, songwriter and poetSep 21, 1934
- Keanu Reeves, Canadian actor and musicianSep 2, 1964
- Stephen King, American novelist and writerSep 21, 1947
- Warren Buffett, American investor, entrepreneur and businessmanAug 30, 1930
- Amy Winehouse, English singer-songwriterSep 14, 1983
- Rupert Grint, English actorAug 24, 1988
- Anne Bancroft, American actressSep 17, 1931
- George R. R. Martin, American writer and television producerSep 20, 1948
- Salma Hayek, Mexican and American actressSep 2, 1966
Birth dates from Wikidata, only entries with a single sourced date, and only if the Sun was in the sign for the whole birthday in every time zone. A Sun sign describes a style in the tradition; it does not explain anyone's success.
Mercury retrograde in Scorpio 2026: what it means for Virgo
Other zodiac signs
Before this sign comes Leo; after it, Libra. All twelve with their dates, elements and rulers: zodiac signs.
More of Virgo in a birth chart: Virgo horoscope 2027 (the year ahead, month by month) · Midheaven in Virgo (career and public role) · rising sign calculator (Virgo rising needs your birth time) · Moon sign calculator (your Moon sign, with the hour if it changed on your birthday) · solar return chart (your chart for the year from your next birthday) · planets today (which planets are in Virgo right now) · Venus retrograde 2026 (dates and the signs it touches) · Virgo and Virgo compatibility (two Virgo Suns together) · Sun, Moon and rising sign meaning (your Virgo Sun read with the other two) · Virgo stellium (three or more planets in Virgo) · zodiac sign dates by year · Full Moon in Virgo (dates in 2026 and 2027) · zodiac sign statistics (how common Virgo is among birth dates, 1930 to 2025) · celebrity birth charts (famous people with a birth time on record), including Beyoncé's birth chart (Sun in Virgo), Dolly Parton's birth chart (Moon and rising in Virgo), Zendaya's birth chart (Sun in Virgo), Madonna's birth chart (Moon and rising in Virgo), Kurt Cobain's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Amy Winehouse's birth chart (Sun in Virgo), Sydney Sweeney's birth chart (Sun in Virgo), Timothée Chalamet's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Steve Jobs's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Keke Palmer's birth chart (Sun in Virgo), Doja Cat's birth chart (Moon in Virgo), Michael B. Jordan's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Blake Lively's birth chart (Sun and Moon in Virgo), Matthew McConaughey's birth chart (Moon in Virgo), Charli XCX's birth chart (Moon in Virgo), Kevin Hart's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Paul McCartney's birth chart (rising in Virgo), David Lynch's birth chart (Moon in Virgo), Travis Kelce's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Kris Jenner's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Finn Wolfhard's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Jungkook's birth chart (Sun and Moon in Virgo), Usher's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Jack Black's birth chart (Sun in Virgo), Brooke Shields's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Gordon Ramsay's birth chart (Moon in Virgo), Emma Watson's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Bella Hadid's birth chart (Moon and rising in Virgo), Amy Poehler's birth chart (Sun in Virgo), Cameron Diaz's birth chart (Sun in Virgo), Serena Williams's birth chart (Moon in Virgo), James Spader's birth chart (rising in Virgo), Zac Efron's birth chart (Moon in Virgo), Jack Harlow's birth chart (Moon in Virgo).
Questions people ask
What are the dates for Virgo?
Usually August 23 to September 22. In US Eastern time Virgo began on August 23 in most years from 1930 to 2025 and on August 22 in the rest, so if your birthday is August 22, 23 or September 22, 23, the year and hour decide. The date pages linked above give the change time for each year.
What element is Virgo?
Earth. Virgo is one of three earth signs with Taurus and Capricorn. Its quality is mutable, and its ruling planet is Mercury.
Is Virgo a happy sign?
Astrology does not rank signs by happiness. Virgo is described as content when useful and when things are in order, and anxious when responsible for problems it cannot fix. A clear routine calms it.
Are Virgos loyal?
The tradition describes Virgo as very loyal once committed, because it takes promises literally, though the commitment follows a careful start.
What signs are Virgos attracted to?
In astrology Virgo is drawn to steady earth signs like Taurus and Capricorn, to the emotional depth of Cancer and Scorpio, and often to its opposite, Pisces. Real attraction depends on the whole chart, especially Venus and Mars, which the compatibility calculator compares from two birth dates.
Who is Virgo's soulmate?
No sign is Virgo's designated soulmate, though Taurus and Capricorn are cited most, earth signs that share its careful, useful way of living. Pisces, opposite, is named for balance, softening Virgo's worry with imagination. Whether a Sun sign matters is up to the two people.
Who will a Virgo marry?
Astrology cannot say who anyone will marry. It can describe what this sign tends to value in a long relationship: reliability, honesty, a partner who shares the daily work. Taurus and Capricorn suit that best, and Cancer and Scorpio follow. The compatibility pages for each pair go into the details.
Who is a bad match for Virgo?
Virgo's hardest pairings are Gemini and Sagittarius, the squares, where close attention to detail meets a partner who skims. Pisces, opposite, adds a tense pairing of order against drift. Attraction often shows up beside the friction, and no match is closed off.
Who will break Virgo's heart?
Hard to pin on a sign, because astrology names no heartbreaker. Virgo gets hurt when a steady stream of small fixes, meant as care, is heard as "you are never good enough." Gemini and Sagittarius, a quarter of the wheel away, tend to skim what Virgo checks twice, and Pisces, opposite, drifts where Virgo plans.
Are Virgos good with money?
The tradition makes Virgo careful with money: it budgets, compares prices and plans ahead. Whether a particular person is good with money depends on the person, not the sign.
What is the Virgo symbol?
The Maiden, or Virgin, usually shown holding an ear of wheat. The glyph is ♍.
What are the Virgo decans?
The three 10° parts of the sign, about ten days each. The table above gives their usual dates and both the classical and modern rulers. The check above tells you which decan your Sun is in.
How do Virgos act when they like someone?
Practical first, romantic later. Astrologers describe a Virgo as careful at the start, watching before committing, so the first sign of interest is often a small act: remembering how you take your coffee, or fixing the thing you said was broken. A Virgo man shows interest by helping, and he answers plain, direct questions. Grand declarations feel risky to this sign.
Sources
- Astronomy Engine: the open-source ephemeris library behind our planet positions, dates and statistics
- William Lilly, Christian Astrology (London, 1647): scan of the original edition
- Wikipedia: Decan (astrology): modern decan rulers
- Wikidata: birth dates of the famous people listed
- How we create our readings: our own calculation of sign dates, positions and the 1930 to 2025 statistics
Written by The Zodiac Atlas editorial team with the help of AI and edited by a person. Element, quality, ruler and decans follow the Western tradition; dates and shares come from our own run of every date from 1930 to 2025 with the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac). Astrology is a symbolic tradition, not a science; read a sign as a set of questions about yourself.