Virginia Beach, Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Virginia Beach, VA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
-
B
Income Around average
-
B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Virginia Beach | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 456,072 | 8,702,460 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 916.7 | 203.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.24% | 0.57% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.5 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 179,716 | 3,364,625 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Virginia Beach grew by 3.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 456,072 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Virginia Beach is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.2% of residents. That is 1.8 points above Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 98,025 21.5% +0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 110,192 24.2% +1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 90,014 19.7% -0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 69,396 15.2% -1.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Virginia, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.8% of the people living in Virginia Beach and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Virginia 50.6%
- Men 49.2% Virginia 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Virginia Beach
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Virginia Beach has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Virginia Beach | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $93,171 | $93,527 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.96% | 4.33% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Virginia Beach is about the same as in Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Virginia Beach | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $308,620 | $256,082 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,713 | $1,579 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.2% | 67.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Virginia Beach is about 15.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,713 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Virginia Beach spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 182 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Virginia Beach | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.8 | 23.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.6 | 46.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 182 | 193 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,627 | $5,986 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.3% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 18,038 | 10,059 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,861 | 1,531 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Virginia Beach is 22 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Virginia.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Virginia Beach has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Virginia Beach | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.7% | 37.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 2.52 | 2.53 |
Health
Virginia Beach has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Virginia Beach | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.9% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.8% | 19.0% | 19.0% |
Virginia Beach, VA Compared With Nearby Cities
Virginia Beach, VA is the largest of the 5 cities compared here, 456,072 residents against a local median of 185,422. Virginia Beach, VA's median household income, at $93,171, runs 37% above the $68,042 typical of the cities around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $308,620 against a local median of $251,658, 23% above it. The cities themselves spread $35,301 on median household income, so Virginia Beach, VA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Virginia Beach, VA has the 2nd highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach, VA | 456,072 | $93,171 #2/5 | $308,620 #2/5 | 21.8 min #4/5 |
| Norfolk, VA | 233,287 | $66,067 | $257,238 | 20.9 min |
| Chesapeake, VA | 252,549 | $95,849 | $388,636 | 23.6 min |
| Portsmouth, VA | 97,157 | $60,549 | $246,079 | 21.7 min |
| Hampton, VA | 137,557 | $70,017 | $206,858 | 18.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Virginia Beach, Virginia.
How big is Virginia Beach, Virginia by population?
About 456,072 people live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 179,716 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 35.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Virginia Beach, Virginia mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Virginia Beach, Virginia has 917 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 11 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Virginia Beach, Virginia?
The median home costs 3.3 times the median household income ($308,620 against $93,171), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,713 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Virginia Beach, Virginia?
Unemployment in Virginia Beach, Virginia is only 3.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →