Norfolk, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

233,596

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

32.7

0.926% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.5%

4.58% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$66,109

3.27% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$289,900

Population & Diversity

Norfolk, VA is home to a population of 234k people, from which 96.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 7.75% of Norfolk, VA residents were born outside of the country (18.1k people).

In 2024, there were 1.06 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (96.2k people) in Norfolk, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 90.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 11k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.4%

2024 Citizenship

96.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.4% of Norfolk, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Norfolk, VA was 96.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Norfolk, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
96.2k ± 395
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
90.9k ± 1.1k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
11k ± 1.14k

10.1%

Hispanic Population

23.7k people

10.1% of the people in Norfolk, VA are hispanic (23.7k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Norfolk, 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

7.75%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

18.1k people

7.55%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

17.7k people

As of 2024, 7.75% of Norfolk, VA residents (18.1k 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 Norfolk, VA was 7.55%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
11,681 ± 927
Vietnam
4,012 ± 417
Gulf War (1990s)
3,923 ± 503

Norfolk, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.91 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Norfolk, VA employs 103k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Norfolk, VA were Health Care & Social Assistance (14,956 people), Retail Trade (11,374 people), and Educational Services (10,723 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($130,667), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($73,771), and Public Administration ($71,751).

Employment

Occupations

103k

2024 Value

± 2,635

0.00972%

1 Year growth

± 3.57%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Norfolk, VA grew at a rate of 0.00972%, from 103k employees to 103k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Norfolk, VA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (12,117 people), Sales & Related Occupations (9,424 people), and Management Occupations (9,164 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Norfolk, 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

103k

2024 Value

± 2,635

0.00972%

1 Year growth

± 3.57%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Norfolk, VA grew at a rate of 0.00972%, from 103k employees to 103k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Norfolk, VA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (14,956 people), Retail Trade (11,374 people), and Educational Services (10,723 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Norfolk, VA, though some of these residents may live in Norfolk, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,864

Median earning men ± $1,308

$36,772

Median earning women ± $1,490

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($74,710), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($62,800), and Manufacturing ($61,850).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($57,267), Construction ($50,682), and Information ($47,895).

Education

The student population of Norfolk, VA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 20,852 male students and 28,400 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Norfolk, VA are White (4,770 and 44.1%), Black or African American (3,598 and 33.2%), Hispanic or Latino (977 and 9.02%), and Two or More Races (671 and 6.2%).

The largest universities in Norfolk, VA by number of degrees awarded are Old Dominion University (5,134 and 46.6%), Tidewater Community College (3,624 and 32.9%), and Norfolk State University (941 and 8.54%).

The most popular majors in Norfolk, VA are General Studies (520 and 4.72%), General Psychology (491 and 4.46%), and Computer & Information Systems Security (438 and 3.98%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $6,938 for in-state students and $22,942 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Norfolk, VA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 89.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 17.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 49,252 (42.3% men and 57.7% 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

Universities

In 2024 there were 49,252 students enrolled in Norfolk, VA, 42.3% men and 57.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 18,405 records, of which 53.9% were women and 46.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
469 degrees awarded
Computer & Information Systems Security
251 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
233 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Norfolk, VA was General Psychology with 469 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Norfolk, VA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Old Dominion University
5,134 degrees awarded
Tidewater Community College
3,624 degrees awarded
Norfolk State University
941 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Old Dominion University with 5,134 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 4,653 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Norfolk, VA, which is 0.731 times less than the 6,363 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 4,770 degrees mean that there were 1.33 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 3,598 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

Universities

Private for-profit, 2-year ($16,500) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($4,527) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,875) 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 Norfolk, VA was $289,900 in 2024, which is 0.871 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $271,900 to $289,900, a 6.62% increase. The homeownership rate in Norfolk, VA is 46.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Norfolk, VA have an average commute time of 23 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Norfolk, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$289,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,479

$44,000

Median Property Taxes

±$1,575

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 Norfolk, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

46.3%

Homeownership

2024

66.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 46.3% of the housing units in Norfolk, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 45.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Norfolk, 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.

$66,109

Median Household Income

± $1,785

95k

Number of Households

± 2,365

In 2024, the median household income of the 95k households in Norfolk, VA grew to $66,109 from the previous year's value of $64,017.

The following chart displays the households in Norfolk, 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Norfolk, 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 (70.6%)
Worked At Home (10.2%)
Carpooled (9.54%)

In 2024, 70.6% of workers in Norfolk, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.2%) and those who carpooled to work (9.54%).

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

23 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Norfolk, VA have a shorter commute time (23 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.08% of the workforce in Norfolk, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Norfolk, VA (35.3k out of 214k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Norfolk, 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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