Chesapeake, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

252,583

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

37.9

0.531% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

9.42%

8.43% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$95,373

1.26% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$378,400

Population & Diversity

Chesapeake, VA is home to a population of 253k people, from which 98% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.81% of Chesapeake, VA residents were born outside of the country (14.7k people).

In 2024, there were 1.89 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (136k people) in Chesapeake, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 71.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 11.6k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98%

2024 Citizenship

97.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98% of Chesapeake, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chesapeake, VA was 97.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Chesapeake, VA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chesapeake, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
136k ± 986
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
71.9k ± 1.02k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
11.6k ± 1.12k

7.68%

Hispanic Population

19.4k people

7.68% of the people in Chesapeake, VA are hispanic (19.4k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chesapeake, VA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Virginia.

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
108,778 ± 8,047 people
India
98,440 ± 7,659 people
Mexico
58,677 ± 5,927 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 108,778 Virginia residents, followed by India with 98,440 and Mexico with 58,677.

Foreign-Born Population

5.81%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

14.7k people

6.13%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

15.4k people

As of 2024, 5.81% of Chesapeake, VA residents (14.7k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Chesapeake, VA was 6.13%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Chesapeake, VA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
14,389 ± 1,236
Gulf War (1990s)
5,436 ± 672
Vietnam
4,671 ± 408

Chesapeake, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.65 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Chesapeake, VA.

Economy

The economy of Chesapeake, VA employs 119k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chesapeake, VA were Health Care & Social Assistance (17,092 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (11,698 people), and Educational Services (11,085 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($101,779), Utilities ($96,154), and Public Administration ($84,625).

Employment

Occupations

119k

2024 Value

± 3,082

0.658%

1 Year growth

± 3.64%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chesapeake, VA grew at a rate of 0.658%, from 118k employees to 119k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chesapeake, VA, are Management Occupations (13,094 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (11,496 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (10,105 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chesapeake, VA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Virginia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

119k

2024 Value

± 3,082

0.658%

1 Year growth

± 3.64%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chesapeake, VA grew at a rate of 0.658%, from 118k employees to 119k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chesapeake, VA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (17,092 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (11,698 people), and Educational Services (11,085 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chesapeake, VA, though some of these residents may live in Chesapeake, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$63,748

Median earning men ± $2,042

$42,735

Median earning women ± $1,604

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($92,864), Manufacturing ($79,714), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($77,079).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($80,648), Public Administration ($70,261), and Manufacturing ($64,956).

Education

The student population of Chesapeake, VA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 40 male students and 612 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Chesapeake, VA are Black or African American (151 and 39.7%), White (141 and 37.1%), Hispanic or Latino (41 and 10.8%), and Two or More Races (26 and 6.84%).

The largest universities in Chesapeake, VA by number of degrees awarded are Centura College-Chesapeake (259 and 68.2%), Sentara College of Health Sciences (121 and 31.8%), and Arizona College of Nursing - Chesapeake (0 and 0%).

The most popular majors in Chesapeake, VA are Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (125 and 32.9%), Registered Nursing (94 and 24.7%), and Medical Office Assistant (81 and 21.3%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $420.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

Measure

In 2024 in Chesapeake, VA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 100%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 40%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 652 (6.13% men and 93.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 652 students enrolled in Chesapeake, VA, 6.13% men and 93.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 271 records, of which 94.1% were women and 5.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist
125 degrees awarded
Massage Therapy
45 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Chesapeake, VA was Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist with 125 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Chesapeake, VA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Centura College-Chesapeake
259 degrees awarded
Sentara College of Health Sciences
121 degrees awarded
Arizona College of Nursing - Chesapeake
0 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Centura College-Chesapeake with 259 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 30 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Chesapeake, VA, which is 0.0857 times less than the 350 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Black or African American students. These 151 degrees mean that there were 1.07 times more degrees awarded to Black or African American students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 141 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($19,917) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,420) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($3,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chesapeake, VA was $378,400 in 2024, which is 1.14 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $359,100 to $378,400, a 5.37% increase. The homeownership rate in Chesapeake, VA is 74.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chesapeake, VA have an average commute time of 25.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chesapeake, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$378,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,621

$69,615

Median Property Taxes

±$1,987

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Chesapeake, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Chesapeake, VA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

74.4%

Homeownership

2024

67.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 74.4% of the housing units in Chesapeake, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 73.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chesapeake, VA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$95,373

Median Household Income

± $2,728

93.6k

Number of Households

± 2,701

In 2024, the median household income of the 93.6k households in Chesapeake, VA grew to $95,373 from the previous year's value of $94,189.

The following chart displays the households in Chesapeake, VA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chesapeake, VA is from Virginia.

0.47

2024 Wage GINI in Virginia

0.472

2023 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2024, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.376% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Virginia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Virginia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (75.7%)
Worked At Home (13.1%)
Carpooled (8%)

In 2024, 75.7% of workers in Chesapeake, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.1%) and those who carpooled to work (8%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

25.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chesapeake, VA have a shorter commute time (25.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.42% of the workforce in Chesapeake, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Chesapeake, VA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Chesapeake, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chesapeake, VA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

9.42% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chesapeake, VA (23.4k out of 248k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chesapeake, VA is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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