Norfolk city, VA

County

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2023 Population

235,037

0.817% 1-year decline

US Senator

N/AMark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

N/ATim Kaine

Democratic Party

2023 Median Age

32.4

0.621% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

17.3%

2.54% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$64,017

4.95% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

102,905

0.291% 1-year growth

About

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Norfolk city, VA are White (Non-Hispanic) (41.5%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (39%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (5.08%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (3.63%), and Other (Hispanic) (3.39%).

None of the households in Norfolk city, VA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.5% of the residents in Norfolk city, VA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Norfolk city, VA are Old Dominion University (5,264 degrees awarded in 2023), Tidewater Community College (3,536 degrees), and Norfolk State University (922 degrees).

Most people in Norfolk city, VA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Norfolk city, VA was 2 cars per household.

Norfolk city, VA borders Northampton County, VA, Chesapeake city, VA, Hampton city, VA, Portsmouth city, VA, and Virginia Beach city, VA.

Photo by Sharon Flowers

United States Virginia Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC

Population & Diversity

Norfolk city, VA is home to a population of 235k people, from which 96.5% are citizens. As of 2023, 7.55% of Norfolk city, VA residents were born outside of the country (17.7k people).

In 2023, there were 1.06 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (97.6k people) in Norfolk city, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 91.8k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 11.9k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.5%

2023 Citizenship

96.5%

2022 Citizenship

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Norfolk city, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
97.6k ± 370
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
91.8k ± 981
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
11.9k ± 1.05k

9.87%

Hispanic Population

23.2k people

9.87% of the people in Norfolk city, VA are hispanic (23.2k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Norfolk city, VA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
107,605 ± 8,003 people
India
98,735 ± 7,670 people
Mexico
59,855 ± 5,986 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 107,605 Virginia residents, followed by India with 98,735 and Mexico with 59,855.

Foreign-Born Population

7.55%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

17.7k people

7.27%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

17.2k people

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
11,313 ± 825
Vietnam
4,290 ± 372
Gulf War (1990s)
4,169 ± 466

Norfolk city, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.64 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Norfolk city, VA employs 103k people. The largest industries in Norfolk city, VA are Health Care & Social Assistance (14,637 people), Retail Trade (11,685 people), and Educational Services (9,988 people), and the highest paying industries are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($75,435), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($73,691), and Public Administration ($70,366).

Males in Virginia have an average income that is 1.33 times higher than the average income of females, which is $69,674. The income inequality in Virginia (measured using the Gini index) is 0.475, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

103k

2023 Value

± 2,559

0.291%

1 Year growth

± 3.56%

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Norfolk city, VA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (11,855 people), Sales & Related Occupations (10,437 people), and Management Occupations (8,945 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Norfolk city, VA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

103k

2023 Value

± 2,559

0.291%

1 Year growth

± 3.56%

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Norfolk city, VA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (14,637 people), Retail Trade (11,685 people), and Educational Services (9,988 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Norfolk city, VA, though some of these residents may live in Norfolk city, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,538

Median earning men ± $1,183

$35,254

Median earning women ± $1,035

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Public Administration ($72,278), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($66,524), and Manufacturing ($57,727).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($58,217), Construction ($48,452), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($45,360).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.1M people employed in Virginia. This represents a 2.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.8%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Virginia.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

378
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
356
Other Services (except Public Administration)
291
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$1.4M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$867k
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$632k
Transportation and Warehousing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Norfolk County, VA went to Joseph R Biden Jr. with 71.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (26.1%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.79%).

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing the state of Virginia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Virginia is currently represented by 11 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

N/AJoseph R Biden Jr. (71.6%)
Democratic Party
N/ADonald J. Trump (26.1%)
Republican Party
N/AJo Jorgensen (1.79%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Norfolk County, VA for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Virginia

N/AMark Warner

Senator from Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2009

N/ATim Kaine

Senator from Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing Virginia.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Virginia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Virginia

Virginia is currently represented by 11 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Virginia have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2023, universities in Norfolk city, VA awarded 11,045 degrees. The student population of Norfolk city, VA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 19,901 male students and 27,231 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Norfolk city, VA are White (4,948 and 45.8%), followed by Black or African American (3,440 and 31.9%), Hispanic or Latino (921 and 8.53%), and Two or More Races (661 and 6.12%).

The largest universities in Norfolk city, VA by number of degrees awarded are Old Dominion University (5,264 and 47.7%), Tidewater Community College (3,536 and 32%), and Norfolk State University (922 and 8.35%).

The most popular majors in Norfolk city, VA are General Studies (583 and 5.28%), General Business Administration & Management (441 and 3.99%), and General Psychology (430 and 3.89%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Norfolk city, VA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 89.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 18.6%. The number of students enrolled in N/A was N/A (N/A% men and N/A% 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.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
421 degrees awarded
Other Multidisciplinary Studies
253 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
226 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Norfolk city, VA was General Psychology with 421 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Old Dominion University
5,264 degrees awarded
Tidewater Community College
3,536 degrees awarded
Norfolk State University
922 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Old Dominion University with 5,264 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 4,606 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Norfolk city, VA, which is 0.715 times less than the 6,439 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 4,948 degrees mean that there were 1.44 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 3,440 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 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($4,328) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,525) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.884% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.904% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.71M), Bachelors Degree (1.47M), and Some college (1.4M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

People in Norfolk city, VA have an average commute time of 22.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Norfolk city, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Norfolk city, VA is $64,017. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Norfolk city, VA was Census Tract 40.01 with a value of $148,411, followed by Census Tract 24 and Census Tract 38, with respective values of $146,875 and $122,661.

In 2023, 20.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Norfolk city, VA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 1.96%.

Housing

Rent vs Own

N/A%

Homeownership

N/A

66.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 40.01
Census Tract 24
Census Tract 38

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Norfolk city, VA was Census Tract 40.01 with a value of $148,411, followed by Census Tract 24 and Census Tract 38, with respective values of $146,875 and $122,661.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Norfolk city, VA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$64,017

Median Household Income

± $1,777

94.5k

Number of Households

± 2,418

The following chart displays the households in Norfolk city, 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 city, VA is from Virginia.

0.475

2022 Wage GINI in Virginia

0.476

2021 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2022, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.475 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.164% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (71.7%)
Carpooled (9.39%)
Worked At Home (8.6%)

In 2023, 71.7% of workers in Norfolk city, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.39%) and those who worked at home (8.6%).

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

22.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Norfolk city, VA have a shorter commute time (22.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.04% of the workforce in Norfolk city, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Norfolk city, 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 city, VA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Norfolk city, VA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 20.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Norfolk city, VA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 1.96%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

17.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Norfolk city, VA (37.2k out of 215k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 18 - 24.

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

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 23.1% of the children was living in poverty in Norfolk city, VA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 4.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

90.9% of the population of Norfolk city, VA has health coverage, with 34.7% on employee plans, 20.6% on Medicaid, 8.81% on Medicare, 16.7% on non-group plans, and 10% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Norfolk city, VA see 995 patients per year on average, which represents a 1.63% increase from the previous year (979 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1009 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 369 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46% were men and 54% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

995 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Norfolk city, VA

Primary care physicians in Norfolk city, VA see an average of 995 patients per year. This represents a 1.63% increase from the previous year (979 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Norfolk city, VA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.8% under 18 years, 26% between 18 and 34 years, 35.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46% were men and 54% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.13%

Uninsured

34.7%

Employer Coverage

20.6%

Medicaid

8.81%

Medicare

16.7%

Non-Group

10%

Military or VA

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Norfolk city, VA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 92 in Norfolk city, VA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Norfolk city, VA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 38% in Norfolk city, VA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Norfolk city, VA.