Metro area · Virginia

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC is a metropolitan area of 18 counties in Virginia, North Carolina, home to 1,797,213 residents. Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area has a quality-of-life score of 69 out of 100 (high), ranking #283 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Virginia it ranks #6 of 12. It ranks best on access to exercise opportunities (high), distance to an airport (low) and some college (high). It ranks worst on rent as share of income (high), rent-burdened households (high) and property crime rate (high).

69High
Quality-of-life score
#283 of 925 metro and micro areas
Virginia
#6 of 12 in VA
Population
1,797,213 (2025)
Land area
3,202 mi²
Density
561.3 /mi²
CBSA code
47260

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map
Location of Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

  • Safety31#642/924
  • Economy86#131/925
  • Housing13#801/925
  • Health72#263/925
  • Healthcare77#216/923
  • Environment68#293/917
  • Education86#133/925
  • Infrastructure81#179/925
  • Community48#479/925
  • Leisure & amenities59#377/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Weaknesses

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Metro and micro areas like Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Federal contract spending

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Counties in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

  1. Virginia Beach cityCentral county95453,737
  2. Chesapeake cityCentral county82255,332
  3. Norfolk cityCentral county52231,013
  4. Newport News cityCentral county59183,230
  5. Hampton cityCentral county58137,315
  6. Portsmouth cityCentral county3796,777
  7. York CountyCentral county9571,374
  8. Isle of Wight CountyCentral county7941,321
  9. Gloucester CountyCentral county8740,097
  10. Poquoson cityCentral county8513,292
  11. Suffolk cityOutlying county70104,699
  12. James City CountyOutlying county9883,326
  13. Currituck CountyOutlying county7933,158
  14. Williamsburg cityOutlying county8515,861
  15. Camden CountyOutlying county7511,315
  16. Gates CountyOutlying county3010,234
  17. Mathews CountyOutlying county738,529
  18. Surry CountyOutlying county536,603

States

The share of the area's residents living in each state.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

  1. ChesapeakePrincipal city252,583
  2. Newport NewsPrincipal city184,216
  3. NorfolkPrincipal city233,596
  4. PortsmouthPrincipal city97,190
  5. Virginia BeachPrincipal city456,349

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

  1. Virginia Beach456,349
  2. Chesapeake252,583
  3. Norfolk233,596
  4. Newport News184,216
  5. Hampton137,557
  6. Suffolk98,796
  7. Portsmouth97,190
  8. Williamsburg15,798
  9. Poquoson12,639
  10. Gloucester Point11,109
  11. Smithfield8,834
  12. Carrollton8,436
  13. Moyock5,684
  14. Bethel Manor4,393
  15. Gloucester Courthouse3,336
  16. Windsor2,852
  17. Grandy2,245
  18. Benns Church1,813
  19. Camden1,115
  20. Rushmere1,033
  21. Mathews941
  22. Camptown834
  23. Coinjock543
  24. Gwynn514

Other metro and micro areas in Virginia

Areas based in Virginia, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

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