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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Norfolk

Virginia · 238,005 residents · 53.3 sq mi
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The short version

With 238,005 people, Norfolk is a county in Virginia. 43% of homes are owner-occupied. This skews young, with a median age of 31.6. That trails the Virginia median by roughly 31%. 75% were living in the same home a year earlier. The foreign-born share is 7%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 31.6
US median: 38.8
Average education
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 63%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
238,005
+2%since 2000
from 234,403 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
31.6
+7%since 2000
from 29.6 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
53.3 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
231K239K247K256K264K19902000201020202024Norfolk
2024234K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56%(14,315)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.3%(12,610)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.1%(12,112)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.9%(16,322)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2413.5%(32,194)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3418.5%(43,964)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.2%(26,725)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 549.6%(22,790)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411.7%(27,758)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 747.8%(18,451)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.2%(7,584)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.3%(3,180)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$53,026
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $31,815 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,706
+77%since 2000
from $17,372 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
33.7%
+10.1 ptssince 2009
from 23.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
17.8%
−1.6 ptssince 2000
from 19.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information11.3%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade7.5%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services5.3%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance4.8%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration3.2%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.6%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.3%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.1%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$215,800
+63%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $88,300 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,077
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $538 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
42.8%
−2.8 ptssince 2000
from 45.5% in 2000
57.2% rent
Persons per household
2.43 people
−4%since 2009
from 2.52 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
4.1
−14%since 2009
from 4.7 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic47%(110,221)
Black43.6%(102,268)
Hispanic / Latino3.8%(8,915)
Asian2.8%(6,477)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic40.8%(97,205)
Black39.3%(93,553)
Hispanic / Latino9.7%(23,130)
Asian3.7%(8,828)
Other4.9%(11,714)
Segregation Score
42
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
Mexican2.9%(7,134)
Puerto Rican1.8%(4,423)
Central American1.8%(4,305)
Honduran0.7%(1,712)
Salvadoran0.6%(1,578)
South American0.4%(1,066)
Dominican0.4%(976)
Cuban0.4%(937)
Guatemalan0.2%(562)
Spaniard0.2%(422)
Colombian0.1%(356)
Panamanian0.1%(302)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0.1%(254)
Ecuadorian0.1%(203)
Peruvian0.1%(162)
Bolivian0%(49)
Uruguayan0%(22)
Argentine0%(11)
Asian origin
Filipino2%(4,870)
Chinese0.3%(821)
Asian Indian0.3%(770)
Vietnamese0.3%(700)
Korean0.2%(537)
Thai0.1%(283)
Japanese0.1%(153)
Bangladeshi0.1%(142)
Cambodian0%(106)
Nepalese0%(86)
Pakistani0%(70)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Taiwanese0%(62)
Laotian0%(55)
Hmong0%(21)
Burmese0%(21)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(105)
Chamorro0%(103)
Fijian0%(6)
Ancestry
German8.8%(21,409)
Irish8%(19,502)
American6.3%(15,504)
English6.2%(15,113)
Italian3.4%(8,206)
French2%(4,810)
Scottish1.6%(3,959)
Polish1.5%(3,695)
West Indian1%(2,474)
Scotch-Irish1%(2,440)
Norwegian0.7%(1,786)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.6%(1,528)
British0.6%(1,357)
Swedish0.5%(1,316)
Jamaican0.5%(1,262)
Russian0.5%(1,148)
Welsh0.5%(1,114)
Greek0.4%(942)
Portuguese0.2%(596)
Hungarian0.2%(528)
Czech0.2%(466)
Lebanese0.2%(429)
Danish0.2%(407)
Nigerian0.2%(398)
Austrian0.1%(358)
Ghanaian0.1%(349)
Turkish0.1%(338)
Haitian0.1%(321)
Ukrainian0.1%(314)
Canadian0.1%(296)
Slovak0.1%(270)
Iranian0.1%(251)
Lithuanian0.1%(237)
Swiss0.1%(184)
Brazilian0.1%(171)
Belgian0.1%(154)
Australian0.1%(148)
Finnish0.1%(140)
Romanian0.1%(133)
Croatian0%(122)
Barbadian0%(120)
Serbian0%(116)
Ethiopian0%(97)
Armenian0%(71)
Arab0%(60)
Syrian0%(56)
Guyanese0%(56)
Slovene0%(53)
Israeli0%(46)
Iraqi0%(41)
Jordanian0%(41)
Moroccan0%(36)
Somali0%(26)
Latvian0%(23)
Egyptian0%(19)
Bulgarian0%(17)
Kenyan0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.0%
+10.4 ptssince 2000
from 19.6% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
88.1%
+9.8 ptssince 2000
from 78.4% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
11.7%
+4.0 ptssince 2000
from 7.7% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.4 min
+59%since 2000
from 13.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
71.8%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 68.2% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
12.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
8.0%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 10.4% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
70.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2011
from 70.2% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
35.8%
+4.9 ptssince 2009
from 30.9% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
52.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.7% in 2009
Female
47.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.3% in 2009
Foreign born
7.3%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 6.2% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
11.4%
−6.1 ptssince 2013
from 17.5% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
92.1%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
75.5%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married48%(46,912)
Married40%(39,080)
Widowed2.3%(2,258)
Divorced9.6%(9,400)
Women 15+
Never married41%(39,087)
Married36.9%(35,233)
Widowed7.5%(7,108)
Divorced14.6%(13,932)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
11.4%
−6.1 ptssince 2013
from 17.5% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
44.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
10.4%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
14.8%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
20.5%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
4.0%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
65.2%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
34.7%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)49.3%(12,324)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)32.7%(8,159)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era21.6%(5,394)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War3.4%(858)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II1.1%(275)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 24,989 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 Norfolk to nearby counties

NORFOLK VS
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Income$60,491+14%
Home value$246,900+14%
Population96,777−58%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NORFOLK VS
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Income$69,621+31%
Home value$245,700+14%
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NORFOLK VS
Poquoson
Income$120,972+128%
Home value$400,300+85%
Population13,292−94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NORFOLK VS
Virginia Beach
Income$92,968+75%
Home value$382,500+77%
Population453,737+96%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Norfolk, Virginia?

Norfolk, Virginia has about 238,005 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Norfolk, Virginia?

The typical household in Norfolk, Virginia earns about $53,026 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Norfolk, Virginia expensive?

In Norfolk, Virginia, the median home is worth about $215,800, and the typical rent is about $1,077 a month.

How educated are people in Norfolk, Virginia?

About 30.0% of adults age 25 and over in Norfolk, Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Norfolk, Virginia?

About 17.8% of people in Norfolk, Virginia live below the federal poverty line.

Has Norfolk, Virginia grown since 1990?

Yes, Norfolk, Virginia has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 23,224 residents, a change of about -9 percent over that period.

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

How we source and harmonize this data →