Portsmouth city, Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Portsmouth city, Virginia has a population of 97,190 across 34 square miles, down 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $7.78 bn in 2024, 1,597 establishments operate here.
78 sourced county values · tier FULL · 8 sections
Portsmouth city
How many people live in Portsmouth city
- Population97,190
- Households40,288
- Average household size2.41
- Median household income$60,491
- Median age35.9
- Median gross rent$1,300 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$246,900
- Home value to household income4.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income25.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over65,901
- Population under 1822,392
- Share under 1823.0 percent
- Population 65 and over15,037
- Share 65 and over15.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6459,761
- Civilian labor force45,096
- Unemployment rate6.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.3 percent
- Rank by population among Virginia independent cities21st of 133
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents635th
Portsmouth city is the 21st largest of 133 Virginia independent cities by population. A median home costs 4.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.0 percent against 15.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Portsmouth city
Is Portsmouth city growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.49 percent
- Census 2020 base population97,945
- Births, 20241,300
- Deaths, 20241,147
- Natural change, 2024153
- Net domestic migration, 2024-526
- Net international migration, 202479
- Total net migration, 2024-447
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-2,044
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2358th
The county has lost 1.49 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Portsmouth city
Where people moving to Portsmouth city come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,567
- People arriving, from those returns7,978
- Adjusted gross income arriving$194.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$42,483
- Largest single originPortsmouth city Non-migrants (32,567 households)
- Largest single destination (32,567 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth city Non-migrants | 32,567 | 60,954 | $1.74 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,293 | 2,138 | $58.5 m |
| Chesapeake city | 842 | 1,546 | $34.1 m |
| Other flows - South | 660 | 1,149 | $29.3 m |
| Norfolk city | 606 | 1,060 | $22.0 m |
| Virginia Beach city | 564 | 994 | $22.1 m |
| Suffolk city | 432 | 802 | $19.7 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 251 | 374 | $12.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Portsmouth city Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Portsmouth city
What the Portsmouth city economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$7.78 bn
- County GDP, 2023$7.56 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.9 percent
- GDP change over five years19.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Virginia independent cities24th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents542nd
- GDP per resident$80,022
Output grew 2.9 percent in the latest year and 19.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Portsmouth city
Who employs people in Portsmouth city
- Covered employment, annual average43,620
- Establishments reporting1,876
- Average annual pay$67,867
- Average weekly wage$1,305
- Sector 62, employment5,926
- Sector 62, average annual pay$56,229
- Sector 56, employment3,125
- Sector 56, average annual pay$52,230
- Sector 44-45, employment2,741
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,928
- Sector 72, employment2,335
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,130
- Sector 23, employment1,960
- Sector 48-49, employment1,794
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 5,926 | 438 | $56,229 |
| Sector 56 | 3,125 | 87 | $52,230 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,741 | 241 | $32,928 |
| Sector 72 | 2,335 | 151 | $22,130 |
| Sector 23 | 1,960 | 141 | $73,758 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,794 | 86 | $80,531 |
| Sector 71 | 1,343 | 23 | $47,755 |
| Sector 81 | 1,224 | 188 | $49,446 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 5,926 jobs, 13.6 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Portsmouth city
What businesses operate in Portsmouth city
- Establishments, all industries1,597
- Employment at those establishments25,089
- Annual payroll$1.38 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Portsmouth city
What is being built in Portsmouth city
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024300
- Declared construction value permitted$32.1 m
- Single family units authorised188
- Multifamily units authorised112
- Multifamily share of units37.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$106,887
- Units authorised per 1,000 households7.4
Multifamily is 37.3 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Portsmouth city
How big is Portsmouth city
- Land area34 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Virginia independent cities105th of 133
- Width, east to west7.2 mi
- Height, north to south9.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land2,859
- Establishments per square mile46.97
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 7(a) approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2020 onward.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Portsmouth city site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Portsmouth city site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population97,190
- Households40,288
- Average household size2.41
- Median household income$60,491
- Median age35.9
Common questions
Portsmouth city questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Portsmouth city, Virginia?
97,190, in 40,288 households, ranking 21st of 133 Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Portsmouth city growing?
The population has fallen 1.49 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,300 births against 1,147 deaths, with net migration of -447. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Portsmouth city?
$60,491. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $246,900, which is 4.1 times income, and median gross rent is $1,300 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Portsmouth city?
1,597 establishments, employing 25,089 people with an annual payroll of $1.38 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Portsmouth city?
Average annual pay is $67,867, or $1,305 a week, across 43,620 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is being built in Portsmouth city?
300 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $32.1 m. Multifamily was 37.3 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Portsmouth city?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Portsmouth city come from?
The largest single origin is Portsmouth city Non-migrants, with 32,567 households. Arriving households report an average income of $42,483 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Portsmouth city on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Portsmouth city?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.