Virginia Beach city, Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Virginia Beach city, 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.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 87% of counties in Virginia
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 81% of counties in Virginia
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 83% of counties in Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Virginia Beach city | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 456,072 | 8,702,460 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 917.3 | 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 city 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 city 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 city and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Virginia 50.6%
- Men 49.2% Virginia 49.4%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Virginia Beach city
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Economy
Virginia Beach city has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Virginia Beach city | 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 city is about the same as in Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Virginia Beach city | 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 city 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 city 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 city | 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) | 15,282 | 10,059 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,493 | 1,531 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Virginia:
Lexington city (10.6 min), Covington city (12.2 min), Norton city (13.1 min).
Slowest:
Amelia County (43.7 min), Craig County (41.3 min), Buckingham County (41.3 min).
The average commute time in Virginia Beach city 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 city has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Virginia Beach city | 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 |
Highest education index among counties in
Virginia:
Falls Church city (0.6), Arlington County (0.6), Alexandria city (0.5).
Lowest:
Greensville County (0.2), Lunenburg County (0.2), Buchanan County (0.2).
Health
Virginia Beach city has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Virginia Beach city | 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% |
Highest health index among counties in
Virginia:
Falls Church city (0.8), Arlington County (0.8), Fairfax County (0.8).
Lowest:
Emporia city (0.7), Petersburg city (0.8), Galax city (0.8).
Virginia Beach city, VA Compared With Nearby Counties
How Virginia Beach city, VA compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach city, VA | 456,072 | $93,171 #2/2 | $308,620 #1/2 | 21.8 min #1/2 |
| Currituck County, NC | 30,601 | $95,793 | $93,333 | 33.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Virginia Beach city, Virginia.
What is the population of Virginia Beach city, Virginia?
About 456,072 people live in Virginia Beach city, 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 city, Virginia mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Virginia Beach city, 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.
Is Virginia Beach city, Virginia an affordable place to live?
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 unemployment high in Virginia Beach city, Virginia?
Unemployment in Virginia Beach city, 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.
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