Suffolk, Virginia

Area Profile

98,796 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Suffolk, in Suffolk city.

65out of 100
Area Score
Top 33% of 2,944 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity2315th of 3,904 published cities52
Schools1693rd of 2,668 published cities41
GrowthTop 30% of 2,973 published cities62
Housing affordabilityTop 40% of 4,223 published cities86
ClimateTop 26% of 4,223 published cities76
Physical resilienceTop 29% of 4,182 published cities76
Access3232nd of 4,226 published cities81
Economic stabilityTop 46% of 4,226 published cities62
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.1% and median household income $92,666, putting employment conditions in the middle range of published city profiles.

In the public schools here, 41% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.2 students for every teacher.

608 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 10% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

At a glance

Population
98,796
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$92,666
Top 23% nationally
Density
248/sq mi
399.2 sq mi of land
Median age
38.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Suffolk city
Virginia
Metro area
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
Nearest major airport
PHF
31 mi · Newport News/Williamsburg Intl
Median home value
$347,400
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.1% is lower than 59% of the 3,904 measured US cities.

Employment fell 1.9% over the past year, to 48,114 employed residents.

33% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 74% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$3,881$92,666Top 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,874$45,819Top 22%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate9.4%Bottom 44%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute32.7 minTop 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher33.3%Top 26%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment48,114Top 50%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-1.6%Bottom 24%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-1.9%Bottom 20%June 2026
Labor force50,181Top 50%June 2026
Labor force participation65.3%Top 33%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$64,130Bottom 27%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$49,430Bottom 37%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.4%Top 37%June 2026
Unemployment rate4.1%Bottom 41%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/065.12.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in June 2026. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.
Median household income, successive ACS releases
202120222023202493k82k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $92,666 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 — 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.

41% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 66% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.2 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
22
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.2
across all schools here
Math proficiency
41.5%
Bottom 29% in Virginia
Reading proficiency
66.1%
Bottom 49% in Virginia
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
King's Fork HighSuffolk City Public Schools1,68616.4
Nansemond River HighSuffolk City Public Schools1,68315.6
Lakeland HighSuffolk City Public Schools1,04512.3
King's Fork MiddleSuffolk City Public Schools98613.927%62%
Florence Bowser ElementarySuffolk City Public Schools92621.054%75%
Northern Shores ElementarySuffolk City Public Schools79819.560%76%
Hillpoint ElementarySuffolk City Public Schools78020.031%57%
Creekside ElementarySuffolk City Public Schools76416.343%67%
Colonel Fred Cherry MiddleSuffolk City Public Schools73611.942%77%
Mack Benn Jr. ElementarySuffolk City Public Schools71316.227%50%
Elephant's Fork ElementarySuffolk City Public Schools65318.140%56%
Southwestern ElementarySuffolk City Public Schools57918.744%63%

68.9% 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 $1,563 takes 20% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.7 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
20.2%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.7×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,563
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$347,400
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.75Top 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate70.7%Bottom 39%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±5140,499Top 1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$58$1,563Top 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$5,812$347,400Top 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income20.2%Top 39%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.4%Bottom 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
62/ 100
Top 30% of 2,973 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing — 2 consecutive years, measured from 2020 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 9% since 2020, reaching 103,105 in 2024.

Population is still rising, but more slowly than in the preceding year.

At 6.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
608
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
6.2
Top 24% nationally
Year over year
−10%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024103k95k
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.
Housing units permitted per year
202020222023202420251k589
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−47%).

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, 26.1 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

76 / 100
Physical resilience

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

DroughtHigh
HurricaneElevated
Coastal floodingModerate
LandslideModerate

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

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. 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.

Suffolk city records 3.5 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 13.3 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, because nationally most firearm deaths are suicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 11.9 per 100,000 residents in Suffolk city.

Homicide
3.5
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Firearm deaths, all intents
13.3
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Drug overdose
11.9
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Suicide
12.5
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 Suffolk city 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 Suffolk rather than Suffolk 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 31 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Newport News/Williamsburg IntlPHF31 mi8,003 ft
Richmond IntlRIC67 mi9,003 ft
Kinston Rgnl Jetport At Stallings FldISO109 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
65
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Other cities in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
Virginia BeachVirginia Beach city456,34969vs Suffolk
ChesapeakeChesapeake city252,58368vs Suffolk
NorfolkNorfolk city233,59656vs Suffolk
Newport NewsNewport News city184,21655vs Suffolk
HamptonHampton city137,55763vs Suffolk
PortsmouthPortsmouth city97,19054vs Suffolk
WilliamsburgJames City County15,79861vs Suffolk
PoquosonPoquoson city12,63971vs Suffolk
Gloucester PointGloucester County11,109vs Suffolk

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Suffolk side by side with a similar place.

Suffolk vs McCallaSuffolk vs RobinsonSuffolk vs YorktownSuffolk vs Chesapeake

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.

ZIP codes in Suffolk

4 published ZIP profiles
ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeArea Score
2343454,387$79,87763
2343533,721$111,70071
234375,023$80,83368
234381,749$93,75069