Population 97,190 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Portsmouth City
Household size in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.50 | 2.64 | 2.63 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.55 | 2.66 | 2.68 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.53 | 2.61 | 2.68 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.40 | 2.54 | 2.62 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.10 | −0.10 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
The average household in Portsmouth City has 2.40 people, under the U.S. average of 2.65. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.50, a much bigger shift than nationally. Households are largest in the northwest and smallest in the northeast.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.4 | 37.0 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 37.2 | 37.6 | 39.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.7 | 38.6 | 40.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 37.4 | 39.2 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +0.0 | +2.2 | +2.1 | +2.3 |
The median resident of Portsmouth City is 37.4 years old, a few years younger than the national median of 40.1. Residents skew youngest in the southeast and oldest in the southwest. Portsmouth City is younger than at least four in five Virginia counties.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 19.0% | 13.7% | 11.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 18.2% | 13.6% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 15.5% | 12.9% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 18.8% | 12.9% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −0.7 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in five households in Portsmouth City (18.8%), well above the national share of 11.6%. Of Virginia's 133 counties, only seven have a higher share of single-parent households.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Portsmouth City
Renters in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 38.5% | 35.1% | 31.1% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 44.2% | 37.6% | 33.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 45.0% | 38.4% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 42.1% | 36.6% | 32.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +3.6 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Just over four in ten households in Portsmouth City rent their homes (42.1%), above the national share of 34.8%. About three in ten owners (29.5%) have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the east and least common in the west. The renter share is up 3.6 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.2% | 9.1% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.5% | 9.7% | 10.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 11.6% | 9.5% | 9.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 7.8% | 7.6% | 8.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.4 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in Portsmouth City: 7.8% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. The Virginia Beach area as a whole looks much the same. Vacancy is down 2.4 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1963 | 1977 | 1978 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1966 | 1979 | 1980 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1967 | 1980 | 1981 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1968 | 1982 | 1984 | 1980 |
| Change | +5 | +5 | +5 | +6 |
The housing in Portsmouth City is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1968, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. The median year built has moved up from 1963 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Portsmouth City has older homes than the great majority of Virginia counties.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $934 | $1,107 | $1,143 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,079 | $1,232 | $1,238 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,123 | $1,358 | $1,436 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,420 | $1,647 | $1,743 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$487 | +$540 | +$600 | +$606 |
The median renter in Portsmouth City pays $1,420 a month for rent and utilities, below the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $487 a month from 2006–10, a 52% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. The typical renter here spends 35.0% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Portsmouth City
Bachelor's degrees in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.2% | 27.5% | 35.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 18.9% | 28.9% | 36.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 21.7% | 32.0% | 39.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 24.0% | 35.4% | 42.5% | 35.6% |
| Change | +5.8 pts | +7.9 pts | +7.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Portsmouth City have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 24.0%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree is up 5.8 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the north and least in the southeast.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 81.5% | 88.9% | 86.8% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 82.4% | 90.0% | 88.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 88.1% | 91.5% | 89.9% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 88.8% | 92.8% | 91.6% | 89.3% |
| Change | +7.2 pts | +3.9 pts | +4.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Portsmouth City have finished high school as nationally: 88.8%, against 89.3%. The rate is lower than in the Virginia Beach area overall (92.8%). The share with a diploma is up 7.2 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Portsmouth City
| Period | Portsmouth City | Virginia Beach area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.6% | 6.5% | 6.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 11.0% | 8.2% | 7.0% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.8% | 5.6% | 4.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.8% | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.9 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been harder to find in Portsmouth City than nationally: unemployment was 6.8%, against 5.4%. Unemployment is down 0.9 points from 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Portsmouth City compared with nearby counties
| County | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth City | 2.40 | 37.4 | 18.8% | 42.1% | 7.8% | 1968 | $1,420 | 24.0% | 88.8% | 6.8% |
| Chesapeake City | 2.73 | 38.9 | 12.7% | 25.6% | 4.7% | 1989 | $1,815 | 36.7% | 94.2% | 4.7% |
| Norfolk City | 2.39 | 35.3 | 15.4% | 53.7% | 9.2% | 1967 | $1,441 | 32.4% | 90.7% | 6.2% |
| Suffolk City | 2.64 | 39.4 | 13.3% | 29.3% | 7.6% | 1992 | $1,673 | 33.5% | 91.3% | 5.1% |
| Virginia Beach City | 2.60 | 39.4 | 12.2% | 34.9% | 6.6% | 1984 | $1,902 | 40.7% | 94.7% | 3.8% |
| Isle of Wight County | 2.55 | 44.0 | 7.3% | 19.9% | 8.1% | 1994 | $1,339 | 31.3% | 92.0% | 4.1% |
| Southampton County | 2.38 | 47.8 | 10.1% | 23.9% | 10.6% | 1983 | $1,018 | 20.3% | 87.8% | 5.6% |
| Sussex County | 2.37 | 41.8 | 14.7% | 30.3% | 19.9% | 1983 | $913 | 16.6% | 83.9% | 3.9% |
| Greensville County | 2.57 | 41.9 | 22.4% | 33.7% | 19.6% | 1982 | $1,024 | 16.3% | 81.5% | 5.8% |
| Brunswick County | 2.16 | 45.7 | 17.4% | 25.6% | 18.8% | 1980 | $954 | 16.9% | 82.9% | 3.7% |
| Lunenburg County | 2.39 | 43.7 | 10.3% | 28.5% | 18.1% | 1972 | $802 | 12.5% | 80.4% | 3.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Counties with similar populations: Mendocino County, CA · Rockingham County, NC · Rockdale County, GA · Roanoke County, VA · Roanoke City, VA · Pottawattamie County, IA · Platte County, MO · Nevada County, CA · Navajo County, AZ · Moore County, NC
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Portsmouth City. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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