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COUNTY

Chesapeake

Virginia · 255,332 residents (2025 est.) · 338 sq mi
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The short version

Chesapeake is a county of 252,583 people in Virginia. That puts it in the top 2% of US counties for household income. The population is up 27% since 2000. Owners hold 74% of the housing stock. 6% of people here were born outside the United States. There are 746 people per square mile.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.9
US median: 38.9
Average education
37% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 74%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
252,583
+27%since 2000
from 199,184 in 2000
255,332 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
746 / sq mi
+15%since 2009
from 648 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.9
+9%since 2000
from 34.7 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
338 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
142K172K202K232K263K19902000201020202024Chesapeake
2024253K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.1%(15,300)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.6%(16,714)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.2%(18,098)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(16,629)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.7%(14,473)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.5%(34,146)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4415%(37,911)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.1%(30,668)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.6%(31,847)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.1%(23,021)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844%(10,161)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.4%(3,615)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$95,373
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $50,743 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$44,985
+115%since 2000
from $20,949 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
60.7%
+16.6 ptssince 2009
from 44.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.4%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 7.3% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.420
+7%since 2010
from 0.393 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information9.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade7.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade7%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration4.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$378,400
+74%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $119,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,586
+36%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $642 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
74.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2000
from 74.9% in 2000
25.6% rent
Vacancy rate
3.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.4% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.65 people
−3%since 2009
from 2.73 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
24.4%
−11.1 ptssince 2009
from 35.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
54.6%
+7.8 ptssince 2009
from 46.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.0
+1%since 2009
from 3.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
37
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic65.9%(131,200)
Black28.3%(56,442)
Hispanic / Latino2%(4,076)
Asian1.8%(3,638)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic53.8%(135,855)
Black28.5%(71,944)
Hispanic / Latino7.7%(19,408)
Asian3.8%(9,654)
Other6.2%(15,722)
Diversity Score
77
+20%since 2009
from 65 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
34
Unchangedsince 2020
from 33 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.5%(6,377)
Puerto Rican2.1%(5,331)
Central American1.1%(2,799)
South American0.7%(1,756)
Cuban0.4%(919)
Salvadoran0.3%(881)
Ecuadorian0.3%(728)
Guatemalan0.3%(715)
Spaniard0.2%(544)
Colombian0.2%(509)
Honduran0.2%(487)
Panamanian0.2%(461)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.2%(430)
Peruvian0.2%(380)
Nicaraguan0.1%(173)
Chilean0%(49)
Bolivian0%(41)
Asian origin
Filipino2%(5,117)
Korean0.4%(1,047)
Vietnamese0.3%(774)
Chinese0.3%(750)
Asian Indian0.3%(718)
Pakistani0.1%(353)
Japanese0.1%(338)
Thai0.1%(144)
Kazakh0%(75)
Hmong0%(63)
Taiwanese0%(36)
+ 2 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(18)
Nepalese0%(16)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(250)
Samoan0%(77)
Ancestry
English11.6%(29,366)
Irish9.5%(24,081)
German9.3%(23,382)
American7%(17,599)
Italian4.2%(10,488)
Polish1.8%(4,558)
Scottish1.7%(4,285)
French1.7%(4,239)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(2,735)
West Indian0.8%(2,047)
Norwegian0.7%(1,680)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
French Canadian0.5%(1,381)
Dutch0.5%(1,304)
Swedish0.5%(1,303)
Welsh0.5%(1,182)
Greek0.4%(1,121)
British0.4%(889)
Jamaican0.3%(816)
Nigerian0.3%(786)
Hungarian0.3%(755)
Russian0.3%(723)
Portuguese0.3%(708)
Haitian0.3%(693)
Arab0.3%(657)
Ukrainian0.2%(587)
Lithuanian0.2%(518)
Danish0.2%(447)
Canadian0.2%(402)
Swiss0.2%(399)
Slovak0.2%(386)
Romanian0.1%(375)
Finnish0.1%(328)
Czech0.1%(305)
Lebanese0.1%(269)
Austrian0.1%(232)
Ghanaian0.1%(225)
Brazilian0.1%(209)
Kenyan0.1%(209)
Croatian0.1%(179)
Egyptian0.1%(157)
Bulgarian0.1%(136)
Barbadian0.1%(134)
Ethiopian0.1%(130)
Belgian0%(102)
Armenian0%(94)
Turkish0%(89)
Iranian0%(88)
Serbian0%(47)
Syrian0%(42)
Moroccan0%(39)
Latvian0%(26)
Guyanese0%(21)
Slovene0%(9)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
36.9%
+12.2 ptssince 2000
from 24.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.2%
+9.0 ptssince 2000
from 85.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
14.4%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 8.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.8 min
+67%since 2000
from 15.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
75.7%
−9.5 ptssince 2009
from 85.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.0%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
13.1%
+9.8 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.0%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.9%
−1.1 ptssince 2011
from 6.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.8%
−2.9 ptssince 2011
from 69.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.0%
+3.3 ptssince 2020
from 74.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.7%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 15.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
46.8%
+7.9 ptssince 2009
from 38.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.1%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.5% in 2009
Female
50.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.5% in 2009
Foreign born
5.8%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 4.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
15.6%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 17.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.0%
+3.1 ptssince 2012
from 9.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.8%
−4.0 ptssince 2013
from 9.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
92.6%
+6.4 ptssince 2017
from 86.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
96.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 96.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.5%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 85.2% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
91.6%
−1.2 ptssince 2016
from 92.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2016
from 3.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married32.9%(32,398)
Married56.6%(55,656)
Widowed2.3%(2,245)
Divorced8.2%(8,096)
Women 15+
Never married28.2%(29,382)
Married52.1%(54,216)
Widowed7.7%(7,962)
Divorced12%(12,516)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.8%
−4.0 ptssince 2013
from 9.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
55.8%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 56.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 12.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.1%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 15.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
15.4%
+4.6 ptssince 2020
from 10.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
5.2%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 4.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
76.6%
−2.6 ptssince 2020
from 79.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
32.9%
+5.1 ptssince 2020
from 27.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)50.3%(14,389)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)45%(12,861)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era19.8%(5,660)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War1.4%(388)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(171)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 28,583 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Chesapeake to nearby counties

CHESAPEAKE VS
Portsmouth
Income$60,491−37%
Home value$246,900−35%
Population96,777−62%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHESAPEAKE VS
Virginia Beach
Income$92,968−3%
Home value$382,500+1%
Population453,737+78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHESAPEAKE VS
Norfolk
Income$66,109−31%
Home value$289,900−23%
Population231,013−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHESAPEAKE VS
Suffolk
Income$92,666−3%
Home value$347,400−8%
Population104,699−59%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Chesapeake, Virginia?

Chesapeake, Virginia has about 252,583 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Chesapeake, Virginia?

The typical household in Chesapeake, Virginia earns about $95,373 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Chesapeake, Virginia expensive?

In Chesapeake, Virginia, the median home is worth about $378,400, and the typical rent is about $1,586 a month.

How educated are people in Chesapeake, Virginia?

About 36.9% of adults age 25 and over in Chesapeake, Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Chesapeake, Virginia?

About 9.4% of people in Chesapeake, Virginia live below the federal poverty line.

Has Chesapeake, Virginia grown since 1990?

Yes, Chesapeake, Virginia has grown since 1990. The population has added about 100,607 residents, a change of about 66 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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Chesapeake, Virginia: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy