AreaProfile

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

Metro Area Profile

1,787,235 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metropolitan area.

68
Area Score
Top 43% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity67th of 99 published metros51
Growth76th of 99 published metros36
Housing affordability61st of 99 published metros79
ClimateTop 27% of 99 published metros76
Physical resilienceTop 14% of 99 published metros83
Access72nd of 99 published metros87
Economic stabilityTop 33% of 99 published metros81
The quick read

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published metro profiles, placing Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk in the top 14% for physical resilience.

Its Area Score of 68 places Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk in the top 43% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
1,787,235
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$82,330
Top 15% nationally
Density
558/sq mi
3201.9 sq mi of land
Median age
37.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
Nearest major airport
PHF
21 mi · Newport News/Williamsburg Intl
Median home value
$340,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.0% is lower than 62% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment fell 2.0% over the past year, to 833,711 employed residents.

36% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 82% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 85% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$711$82,330Top 15%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$501$44,050Top 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.8%Bottom 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute26.7 minTop 24%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher35.8%Top 18%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment833,711Top 39%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-3.3%Bottom 4%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-2.0%Bottom 13%June 2026
Labor force868,316Top 38%June 2026
Labor force participation66.2%Top 14%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$64,130Bottom 41%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$49,430Top 50%2025 OEWS
Metro employment763,060Top 40%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.4%Top 35%June 2026
Unemployment rate4.0%Bottom 38%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/065.32.6
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.0% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers22,520$28,780
Retail Salespersons20,890$30,820
General and Operations Managers17,400$100,340
Registered Nurses16,870$89,450
Cashiers16,840$29,320
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand13,920$39,160

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,478 takes 22% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.1 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
21.5%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.1×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,478
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$340,900
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income4.14Top 24%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate63.4%Bottom 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±332763,678Top 4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$13$1,478Top 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,129$340,900Top 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income21.5%Top 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate7.4%Bottom 19%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
36/ 100
Ranks 76 of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 1,794,278 in 2024.

At 2.9 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
5,224
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.9
Bottom 32% nationally
Year over year
+13%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
31.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320241794k1782k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 89°F and January a low of 34°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 45.7 inches, including 3.0 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station NORFOLK NAS, 9.8 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND5.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation45.7"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall3.0"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low34°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high89°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing39°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

83 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane and coastal flooding.

HurricaneElevated
Coastal floodingModerate

Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, lightning, earthquake, tornado, ice storm, inland flooding, winter weather, cold wave, hail, wildfire, strong wind, drought, landslide.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 21 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Newport News/Williamsburg IntlPHF21 mi8,003 ft
Richmond IntlRIC69 mi9,003 ft
Kinston Rgnl Jetport At Stallings FldISO124 mi11,498 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
68
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.