← Map/← Virginia/Counties/Portsmouth city

Portsmouth city
Virginia

97K

Population

$57K

Median Income

$264K

Median Home

D+43

Politics

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What stands out

What stands out about Portsmouth city: home internet speed is in the top 3% of American counties (313 Mbps), the overdose death rate is in the top 4% of American counties (47 per 100,000), and homeownership is in the bottom 4% of American counties (56%). Within Virginia it ranks 6th of 133 counties for home internet speed.

Where you are

You live in Portsmouth city, Virginia. 97,384 people live here with you. The population held steady at 0.2% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -316).

Virginia has a graduated income tax with a 5.75% top rate that begins at just $17,000 of income, so most residents pay near the top rate. It does not tax Social Security and allows an age deduction of up to $12,000 for residents 65 and over. Northern Virginia's federal and defense economy produces incomes closer to the Washington suburbs of Maryland than to the rest of the state. Localities levy annual property tax on vehicles.

Money

The typical household here brings in $57,154 a year, lower than 61% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $67,867. Unemployment runs 3.9%, higher than 66% of American counties. 7% of workers work from home; for the rest the average commute is 22 minutes each way.

Virginia takes 5.3% of that median income in state income tax, about $3,029 a year.

Home

The median home costs $267K, pricier than 61% of American counties, about 3.2 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $1,170 a month. Property tax is 1.11% of home value, roughly $2,375 a year on that median home, higher than 67% of American counties. 56% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 4.1 per 1,000 residents, higher than 65% of American counties. Drug overdoses killed 47 people per 100,000 in 2024, one of the harder-hit counties in the country.

A child born here can expect to live 72.1 years, shorter than 87% of American counties. There are 381 active physicians in the county, about 39.1 per 10,000 people. Medicare rates the local hospitals 3.0 of 5 stars. 8.2% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

Local students test at grade level 3.01 where 3.0 is national grade level, higher than 52% of American counties. 90% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Democratic by 43 points, among the most lopsided counties in the country. 62% of eligible voters turned out. Under Virginia law you can get a concealed-carry permit on request, abortion is legal with limits, and marijuana is legal for adults.

Weather and risk

The year averages 61°F, highs near 70 and lows near 53, warmer than 72% of American counties. About 46 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 84 out of 100, riskier than 84% of American counties; the county has had 18 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 313 Mbps down, faster than 97% of American counties. There are 0 airports in the county, counting general aviation. For a night or a weekend out: 0.5 full-service restaurants per 1,000 people, 2 breweries.

Written from the figures below. Percentiles compare this county with every other county that reports the same figure; missing figures are left out rather than guessed.

Economy

Median Household Income$57K
This county
national avg ~$75K
Poverty Rate19.8%
This county
national avg ~11.5%
Unemployment Rate3.9%
This county
national avg ~3.8%
GDP per Capita$78,114
Federal Spending per Capita$13,766
Median Individual Earnings$41K
This county
national avg $45K
Professional/Management Workers32.7%
Average Adjusted Gross Income$52K
Avg Credit Score635
Work From Home %6.6%
This county
national avg 17.0%
Population Under 1823.1%
This county
national avg 22.0%
Single-Person Households33.0%
This county
national avg 28.0%
Banks & Finance Firms30
Income (20th Percentile)$23K
Income (80th Percentile)$109K
Income (95th Percentile)$182K
Bachelor's Degree or Higher21.2%
This county
national avg 34.3%
Less Than High School10.5%
This county
national avg 11.0%
Knowledge Economy GDP %10.3%
Dependency Ratio0.62
Medicare Spending / Person$2,632
SS Benefits / Person$3,297
Education Wage Premium2.16x
Median Earnings (Bachelor's)$59K
Median Earnings (Graduate)$69K
Median Earnings (HS Diploma)$32K
Public Assistance Recipients3.4%
Average Annual Wage$68K
Professional Services Concentration0.69x national
This county
1.0 = national average share
Federal Government Jobs Located Here13,688
Federal Share of Jobs Located Here31.8%
Residents Who Work for the Federal Government11.6%
Federal Civilian Share of Earnings38.8%
Federal Contract Dollars Performed Here (FY2025)$910M
Contract Dollars Relative to Local Wages0.30x wages
Largest Award's Share of Contract Dollars13%
Oil and Gas Share of Earnings (incl. proprietors)0.1%

Housing

Sources: Zillow ZHVI · Census ACS 2022 · Tax Foundation 2023 (effective rates)

Median Home Value$264K
This county
$390K state avg
$303K national
Median Sale Price$262K
This county
$303K national
Market Rent (ZORI)$1627/mo
This county
$1700/mo state avg
$1400/mo national
Property Tax Rate1.11%
This county
0.74% state avg
1.10% national

Annual tax on median home: $2,375

Affordability & Supply

HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR)$1,713/mo
Home Price Change (1 yr)+3.9%−+4.3% since 2024
Home Value to Income Ratio3.2x income
Severely Cost-Burdened Households19.0%
Homeownership Rate56.1%
This county
national avg ~65%

Market Activity

Sources: Zillow Research monthly · Redfin

Sale-to-List Ratio— Buyers market — homes selling below list
99.1%
Listings with Price Cuts— Low — market moving fast
19.0%
Sold Above List Price
41.8%
Median Days to Close
22 days
Active Listings
462
New Listings / Month
159

Source: Zillow Research · Updated monthly

Health

Life Expectancy72.1 yrs
This county
national avg ~78.5 years
Hospital Rating3.0 / 5
This county
national avg 3.0 stars
Food Insecurity10.3%
This county
national avg ~11%
Food Environment Index8.1 / 10
This county
higher = better access
Primary Care Shortage Score21
This county
national avg 5
Mental Health Shortage Score20
Dental Care Shortage Score25
Healthcare Shortage Score22.0
Healthcare Offices113
Obesity Rate (BRFSS)41.0%
This county
national avg 32.0%
Smoking Rate (BRFSS)16.7%
This county
national avg 14.0%
Poor Health Rate (BRFSS)23.5%
This county
national avg 18.0%
Physical Inactivity (BRFSS)29.7%
This county
national avg 24.0%
High Blood Pressure (BRFSS)39.3%
This county
national avg 32.0%
Active Physicians381
Nursing Home Rating2.7 / 5
This county
national avg ~3 stars
ER Visits per 1,000 Medicare Patients836 / 1,000
Medicare Cost per Beneficiary$12,034
Uninsured (under 65)8.2%
This county
national avg ~10%
Adults with Depression22.9%

Education

Reading Test Scores3.01 grade level
HS Diploma Holders17,012
Bachelor's Degree Holders8,863
HS Completion Rate89.5%
This county
national avg ~85%
Private Schools12

Safety

Violent Crime Rate4.1 / 1,000
This county
national avg ~4.0
Firearm Fatality Rate27.9 / 100K
This county
national avg ~13.6/100K
Homicide Rate20.7 / 100K
This county
national avg ~7.5/100K
Drug Overdose Rate56.4 / 100K
This county
national avg ~21/100K
Traffic Fatalities110
Social Vulnerability (CDC SVI)84th pct
Drug Overdose Deaths (2024)46.5 / 100K
Suicide Rate15.3 / 100K
This county
national avg ~14/100K

Climate & Air Quality

Natural Amenity Scale0.5
January Sunshine0.68
January Temperature0.63
Average Temp61°F-0.2% since 2022
Avg High Temp70°F-0.7% since 2022
Avg Low Temp53°F+0.6% since 2022
Median AQIAQI 44
Good Air Days229 days/yr
Unhealthy Air Days3 days/yr
Annual Precipitation45.9 in/yr+5.8% since 2022
Avg Storm Events4.2 storms/yr
Avg Annual Storm Damage$12K
Drought Index (2022)-0.61
Heating Degree Days3,103 HDD/yr
This county
national avg ~4,500 HDD/yr
Cooling Degree Days1,752 CDD/yr
This county
national avg ~1,200 CDD/yr
Heating Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)3,458 HDD/yr
Cooling Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)1,482 CDD/yr
Avg Tornadoes / Year0.0
Avg Flood Events / Year1.2
Avg Hail Events / Year0.0
Avg Hurricane Events / Year0.00
Avg Wildfire Events / Year0.0
Avg Winter Storms / Year0.0
Avg Heat Events / Year0.0
Natural Hazard Risk (FEMA)84 / 100
Community Resilience (FEMA)79 / 100
Federal Disaster Declarations18 since 1953
Fine Particulate Pollution (PM2.5)6.8 µg/m³
This county
EPA standard 9 µg/m³

Outdoor & Recreation

Historic Places (NRHP)24 properties
FAA-Registered Airports2 total
Airports (excl. heliports)0 airports

Brewery Scene

Total Breweries2 breweries
Microbreweries1 microbreweries
Brewpubs1 brewpubs

Internet & Remote Work

Download Speed313 Mbps
This county
national avg ~120 Mbps
Upload Speed91 Mbps
Fixed Internet (Q1 2026)336 Mbps
Mobile Internet (Q1 2026)231 Mbps
Mobile Upload (Q1 2026)21 Mbps
Mobile Latency (Q1 2026)34 ms
Households with 100Mbps+100.0%
This county
national avg 75.0%
Cellular-Only Internet22.7%
This county
national avg 8.0%
Fixed Upload Speed (Q1 2026)155 Mbps

EV Infrastructure

EV Charging Stations6 stations
DC Fast Chargers24 chargers
Level 2 EV Chargers27

Commute & Transit

Remote Workers2,973 workers
Public Transit Commuters721 workers
Walk to Work (workers)1,366 workers
Extreme Commutes (90+ min)495 workers
Avg Commute Time21.7 min
This county
national avg ~27 min
Bike Commuters0.4%
Walk to Work3.0%

Families & Childcare

Childcare Cost Burden33.0%
This county
national median ~27% of household income
Childcare Centers7.7 per 10K residents
Childcare Facilities21

Civic & Community

Voter Turnout62.3%
This county
national avg ~55%
Volunteering Rate1.0%
Income Inequality (Gini)4.814
Nonprofit Organizations427
Veterans Share12.6%
This county
national avg 7.0%
Married Adults40.0%
Never-Married Adults39.8%
Divorced Adults13.8%
Religious Organizations76
Asian Population1.4%
Native American Population0.4%
Membership Associations9.0 per 10K residents

Lifestyle & Services

Full-Service Restaurants0.53 per 1K residents
Nursing & Care Facilities41
Grocery Stores48
Arts & Entertainment Venues7
Hotels & Lodging8
Recreation Businesses18
Professional Services Firms124
Veterinary Practices8
Real Estate Firms74
Debt Burden
Avg Mortgage Balance$57K
Avg Student Loan Balance$14K
Avg Credit Card Balance$4K
Loan Delinquency Rate64.7%
This county
national avg 4.0%

Innovation

Inventor Rate0.10%

Politics

D+43

2024 Presidential · Virginia was D+3 statewide

vs Virginia State

Income tax
5.75%Same (state law)
Property tax
1.11%0.74% state avg
Politics
D+43D+3
COL Index
102state index (no county figure)

Population & Migration

Net Domestic Migration 2023

↓ -316

More people leaving than arriving

IRS Wealth Migration

Lower-income migration pattern (IRS: 0.82x avg income)

Economic Mobility

34%

chance a low-income child reaches the middle class

Source: Opportunity Insights

Real Estate

Find Homes in Portsmouth city County

Median home value: $267K

View on Zillow →View on Realtor.com →

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Full Virginia profile

Taxes, cost of living, crime, schools, gun laws and more.

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Data: Census ACS, BLS, Zillow, USDA Natural Amenities, OpenElections 2024, CMS, NCES. Vintage 2022–2025. News via Google News.

Your Priorities

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Quick Profiles

Dial in your priorities

Annual Income

$150K

Affects effective income tax rate

$0$500K$5M+

Retirement Savings

$0

Affects pension and SS tax burden

None$500K$10M+

Social Security

None

Annual Social Security benefit

None$150K/yr

My Property Is Worth

$400K

Affects property tax burden

Tax burden ↓$1M$50M+

Home Buying Budget

$400K

Compared to state median home price

Hard to find$250K$5M+

Monthly Rent Budget

Don't care

Compared to state median 2BR rent

Don't care$10K/mo

Job Market

Don't care

State unemployment and job growth

Don't careHot market

Airport Access

Don't care

Direct flight destinations from state hubs

Don't careMust have hub

City vs Country

Mid-size city

% urban population

Deep countryBig city

Sunshine

Don't care

Annual sunny days per state

Don't careMax sunshine

Food Scene

Don't care

Restaurants per 100K residents

Don't careWorld-class

Political Preference

Neutral

State's political lean

LiberalConservative

Gun Laws

Neutral

State gun law grade (Giffords)

Gun Control2A Freedom

Abortion Access

Neutral

State abortion access policy

Pro-ChoiceNeutralPro-Life

Community

None

Congregations per 100K residents

AvoidDon't careSeek

Sports & Entertainment

Don't care

Pro sports teams and major venues

Don't careMust have pro teams

Cannabis Laws

Neutral

State cannabis legality

Prefer LegalNeutralPrefer Prohibition

Retiree Community

Neutral

% population 65+ (Census)

Young areaRetirement-heavy

Dating Market

Neutral

% adults never-married (Census)

Singles sceneFamily community

Safety / Low Crime

Don't care

Violent crime rate per 100K (FBI)

Don't careVery safe

School Quality

Don't care

K-12 rank (Education Week)

Don't careTop-ranked

Healthcare Access

Don't care

Healthcare system rank (Commonwealth Fund)

Don't careTop-ranked

Childcare Affordability

Don't care

Cost of living proxy for childcare affordability

Don't careMust be affordable