Virginia Beach, VA

Census Place

2024 Population

456,349

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

37.9

1.34% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.59%

2.7% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$92,968

2.52% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$382,500

Population & Diversity

Virginia Beach, VA is home to a population of 456k people, from which 96.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.09% of Virginia Beach, VA residents were born outside of the country (41.5k people).

In 2024, there were 3.24 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (269k people) in Virginia Beach, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 83k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 32.2k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.7%

2024 Citizenship

96.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.7% of Virginia Beach, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Virginia Beach, VA was 96.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Virginia Beach, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
269k ± 878
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
83k ± 1.37k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
32.2k ± 925

9.1%

Hispanic Population

41.5k people

9.1% of the people in Virginia Beach, VA are hispanic (41.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Virginia Beach, 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

9.09%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

41.5k people

2023 Foreign-Born Population

41.1k people

As of 2024, 9.09% of Virginia Beach, VA residents (41.5k 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 Virginia Beach, VA was 9%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
24,186 ± 1,400
Gulf War (1990s)
11,297 ± 889
Vietnam
9,668 ± 579

Virginia Beach, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.14 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Virginia Beach, VA employs 221k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Virginia Beach, VA were Health Care & Social Assistance (32,090 people), Retail Trade (24,308 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (23,174 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($86,477), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($82,769), and Public Administration ($78,853).

Employment

Occupations

221k

2024 Value

± 4,005

−1.06%

1 Year decline

± 2.56%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Virginia Beach, VA declined at a rate of −1.06%, from 223k employees to 221k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Virginia Beach, VA, are Management Occupations (26,399 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (23,292 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (21,056 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Virginia Beach, 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

221k

2024 Value

± 4,005

−1.06%

1 Year decline

± 2.56%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Virginia Beach, VA declined at a rate of −1.06%, from 223k employees to 221k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Virginia Beach, VA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (32,090 people), Retail Trade (24,308 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (23,174 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Virginia Beach, VA, though some of these residents may live in Virginia Beach, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,488

Median earning men ± $1,377

$44,708

Median earning women ± $1,570

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($89,849), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($82,173), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($81,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($63,479), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($59,574), and Construction ($56,007).

Education

The student population of Virginia Beach, VA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 10,679 male students and 17,489 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Virginia Beach, VA are White (3,449 and 41.2%), Black or African American (2,955 and 35.3%), Hispanic or Latino (961 and 11.5%), and Two or More Races (346 and 4.13%).

The largest universities in Virginia Beach, VA by number of degrees awarded are ECPI University (4,222 and 50.3%), Regent University (2,468 and 29.4%), and Bryant & Stratton College-Virginia Beach (489 and 5.82%).

The most popular majors in Virginia Beach, VA are Registered Nursing (1,252 and 14.9%), Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (863 and 10.3%), and Computer & Information Systems Security (467 and 5.56%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $19,950.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Virginia Beach, VA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 56.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 21.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 28,168 (37.9% men and 62.1% 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 28,168 students enrolled in Virginia Beach, VA, 37.9% men and 62.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 10,208 records, of which 71% were women and 29% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer & Information Systems Security
399 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
247 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
188 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Virginia Beach, VA was Computer & Information Systems Security with 399 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

ECPI University
4,222 degrees awarded
Regent University
2,468 degrees awarded
Bryant & Stratton College-Virginia Beach
489 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was ECPI University with 4,222 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 3,025 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Virginia Beach, VA, which is 0.563 times less than the 5,375 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 3,449 degrees mean that there were 1.17 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 2,955 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 not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($19,950) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($950) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private for-profit, 2-year ($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 Virginia Beach, VA was $382,500 in 2024, which is 1.15 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $366,300 to $382,500, a 4.42% increase. The homeownership rate in Virginia Beach, VA is 65.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Virginia Beach, VA have an average commute time of 23.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Virginia Beach, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$382,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$3,757

$117,165

Median Property Taxes

±$2,411

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

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

Rent vs Own

65.1%

Homeownership

2024

68.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 65.1% of the housing units in Virginia Beach, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 64.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Virginia Beach, 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.

$92,968

Median Household Income

± $1,774

180k

Number of Households

± 3,438

In 2024, the median household income of the 180k households in Virginia Beach, VA grew to $92,968 from the previous year's value of $90,685.

The following chart displays the households in Virginia Beach, 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 Virginia Beach, 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 (74%)
Worked At Home (14.3%)
Carpooled (7.42%)

In 2024, 74% of workers in Virginia Beach, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.3%) and those who carpooled to work (7.42%).

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

23.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Virginia Beach, VA have a shorter commute time (23.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.51% of the workforce in Virginia Beach, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.59% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Virginia Beach, VA (38.5k out of 448k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Virginia Beach, VA is White, followed by Black 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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