23803Petersburg, Virginia

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 23803.

50out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 16% of 5,298 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity5902nd of 6,210 published ZIP areas25
Schools3649th of 4,422 published ZIP areas26
Growth3293rd of 5,428 published ZIP areas44
Housing affordability3956th of 6,685 published ZIP areas74
ClimateTop 30% of 6,789 published ZIP areas75
Physical resilienceTop 46% of 6,709 published ZIP areas62
Access4595th of 6,791 published ZIP areas87
Economic stability5920th of 6,742 published ZIP areas34
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable published ZIP profiles: unemployment is 5.5% and the Opportunity signal places 23803 in the bottom 5%.

In the public schools here, 33% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.7 students for every teacher.

Residential permitting has slowed: 94 units authorized over the past twelve months, 44% below the prior year.

At a glance

Population
42,012
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$57,813
Bottom 26% nationally
Density
582/sq mi
72.2 sq mi of land
Median age
36.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Petersburg
Virginia
Metro area
Richmond, VA
Nearest major airport
RIC
22 mi · Richmond Intl
Median home value
$230,400
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 5.5% is lower than 14% of the 6,544 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment fell 2.1% over the past year, to 14,247 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$4,510$57,813Bottom 26%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,330$30,256Bottom 28%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate21.9%Top 15%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute27.7 minTop 50%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher24.4%Top 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment14,247Bottom 9%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-1.2%Bottom 30%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-2.1%Bottom 15%June 2026
Labor force15,071Bottom 9%June 2026
Labor force participation61.5%Top 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$68,400Top 45%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$51,460Top 41%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.7%Top 21%June 2026
Unemployment rate5.5%Top 14%June 2026
Median household income, successive ACS releases
202120222023202458k49k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $57,813 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.
Largest occupations — Richmond, VA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers17,100$29,500
Retail Salespersons16,210$33,580
General and Operations Managers15,770$108,670
Registered Nurses15,700$93,580
Cashiers14,460$30,350
Stockers and Order Fillers12,300$37,180

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.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Petersburg, VA, the city containing this ZIP code.

33% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 42% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.7 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
10
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.7
across all schools here
Math proficiency
32.6%
Bottom 17% in Virginia
Reading proficiency
41.7%
Bottom 9% in Virginia
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Matoaca MiddleChesterfield County Public Schools77514.967%42%
Matoaca ElementaryChesterfield County Public Schools67613.835%52%
Ettrick ElementaryChesterfield County Public Schools56013.028%48%
Cool Spring ElementaryPetersburg City Public Schools54014.617%37%
Pleasants Lane ElementaryPetersburg City Public Schools49312.612%33%
Westview Early Childhood Education CenterPetersburg City Public Schools41814.9
Lakemont ElementaryPetersburg City Public Schools39311.914%31%
Southside Va Training CtrSouthside Virginia Training Center0
Central St. Hosp. Ed. Pr.Central State Hospital0
Appomattox Regional Governor's SchoolAppomattox Regional Governor's School0

84.5% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with rather than how the schools perform, which is why AreaProfile shows it and does not score it.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Schools are placed by ZIP code, so this is which schools are in this place rather than which one a particular address is zoned for — district boundaries do not follow municipal ones, and enrollment zones change. Fully virtual schools are excluded: they enroll students from across the state while reporting one administrative address, and counting them here would describe a school population this place does not have. The assessment covers grades 3 through 8, so a high school shows no proficiency figure — a dash in those columns means the test was not given at that school, not that it performed badly. Proficiency is measured against Virginia’s own standard, so it compares cleanly within the state and only broadly against other states; AreaProfile therefore ranks it within state. The directory is current, while the proficiency figures are from the last school year with national coverage before the pandemic interrupted testing.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,178 takes 24% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.0 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
24.5%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.0×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,178
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$230,400
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.99Top 29%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate51.1%Bottom 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±59619,925Top 3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$49$1,178Top 37%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$11,009$230,400Top 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income24.5%Top 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate15.8%Top 35%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
44/ 100
Ranks 3293 of 5,428 published city profiles

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.

At 2.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas.

Units permitted
94
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.8
Bottom 49% nationally
Year over year
−44%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
26.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings

The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Petersburg, VA, the city containing this ZIP code.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 90°F and January a low of 29°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 45.5 inches, including 8.8 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 RICHMOND INTL AP, 21.7 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation45.5"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall8.8"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low29°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high90°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing41°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

62 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are drought, hurricane and earthquake.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 76% of measured US ZIP areas.

HurricaneModerate
EarthquakeElevated
DroughtElevated
Cold waveModerate

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

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offences. AreaProfile does not publish reported crime, and this is not a substitute for it — it says nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Dinwiddie County records 5.9 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 16.0 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, because nationally most firearm deaths are suicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 14.4 per 100,000 residents in Dinwiddie County.

Homicide
5.9
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Firearm deaths, all intents
16.0
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Drug overdose
14.4
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Suicide
14.9
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides. The two columns overlap and should not be added.

Age-adjusted rates from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC for Dinwiddie County as a whole — these rates are not published below county level. A county can hold both a dense city centre and a suburb whose experience of it is nothing alike, so this describes the county around 23803 rather than 23803 itself. That is why AreaProfile shows these figures and does not put them in the Area Score. Where fewer than ten deaths were recorded the count is suppressed at source, and a rate built on single figures moves sharply between releases. What this measure has that reported crime does not: a death certificate is filed whether or not the local police agency submitted a return that year, so the figures stay comparable between places and over time.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer is the only source for reported offences with national coverage and a published method, and it requires an API key AreaProfile does not hold. Arrest counts, news volume and commercial “safety scores” are not substituted in the meantime. What is published above under Safety is a different measurement — deaths rather than offences, from death certificates rather than police returns — and it covers no property crime at all.
Taxes
No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, transparent methodology and update cadence. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Full cost of living
No public source publishes one with national coverage and a documented method. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 22 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Richmond IntlRIC22 mi9,003 ft
Newport News/Williamsburg IntlPHF54 mi8,003 ft
Raleigh-Durham IntlRDU118 mi10,000 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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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)
safetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
April, 2025 to March, 2026Quarterly, with a rolling twelve-month window alongside complete calendar years
schoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2019-20 school year; 2024-25 school yearDirectory annually; assessment results as EDFacts releases them

Profile recalculated August 30, 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.

23803 vs Petersburg

How this ZIP area compares with Petersburg as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like.

23803
Petersburg
Median household income
$57,813
vs
$50,698
Per capita income
$30,256
vs
$29,418
Population density
582/sq mi
vs
1,476/sq mi
Median home value
$230,400
vs
$189,000
Median gross rent
$1,178
vs
$1,174
Homeownership rate
51.1%
vs
38.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
24.4%
vs
25.4%
Poverty rate
21.9%
vs
21.7%
Median age
36.4
vs
35.8

Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.