State
County
Land Area
338.5 sq mi
Density
737.9/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
1.00%
Growth Since 2010
12.41%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Chesapeake is a city located in Virginia. With a 2020 population of 249,787, it is the 2nd largest city in Virginia (after Virginia Beach) and the 91st largest city in the United States. Chesapeake is currently growing at a rate of 1.00% annually and its population has increased by 12.41% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 222,209 in 2010. Chesapeake reached it's highest population of 249,787 in 2021. Spanning over 351 miles, Chesapeake has a population density of 738 people per square mile.
The average household income in Chesapeake is $97,038 with a poverty rate of 8.57%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,279 per month, and the median house value is $273,700. The median age in Chesapeake is 36.9 years, 35.7 years for males, and 38.1 years for females. For every 100 females there are 95.6 males.
Chesapeake is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Chesapeake is not located within a county. Chesapeake is located on the border of North Carolina.
Chesapeake is the third-most populous city in Virginia and the second-largest city by land area in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population density in Chesapeake is 260% higher than the Virginia average and 660% higher than the national average.
English is the primary language in Chesapeake, with 92.41% of residents speaking only English. 7.59% of residents speak another non-English language. The most common non-English language spoken is Spanish, which is spoken by 3.76% of the population.
The Chesapeake population has had a generally steady growth with a few periods of decreasing population, such as a 48.1% decrease from 1950 to 1960. Chesapeake’s largest period of population growth happened between 1940 and 1950, with an increase from 35,828 people to 99.537, or 177.8%. Between 2010 and 2018, Chesapeake’s population is estimated to have grown 9.2%, a little over 1% per year.
Chesapeake has played a significant role in the birth of the United States since the arrival of colonial settlers to the area in 1620. The Virginia Colony was formed in 1691 and Norfolk County included the area encompassing what would become the cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, and South Norfolk. South Norfolk would later become Chesapeake.
During the American Revolutionary War, the colonists fought and won the Battle of Great Bridge in 1775. The victory resulted in the removal of the British Government from the Colony of Virginia.
South Norfolk became an incorporated town in Norfolk County in 1919 and became an independent city in 1922. The residents of South Norfolk wanted to put their jurisdiction on equal ground with the larger cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth; however, South Norfolk was about to lose all of the county land adjoining it to the city of Norfolk. In 1963, Chesapeake was formed as a new independent city of South Norfolk consolidated with Norfolk County.
Up until the late 1980s and 1990s, Chesapeake remained relatively rural or suburban and served as a bedroom community for Norfolk and Virginia. Chesapeake residents typically commuted to these larger cities from Chesapeake. During and after this period, Chesapeake started to experience significant growth in both the population and industries and businesses. While the growth was mostly positive, it did come with several issues, such as strains on municipal infrastructure.
Chesapeake hosted the first trial of alleged Beltway sniper Lee Boyd Malvo for shootings in 2002. A jury convicted him of murder and sentenced him to life in prison without parole. Chesapeake made national headlines for the trial.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Chesapeake was:
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 146,540 | 61.06% |
Black or African American | 72,084 | 30.04% |
Two or More Races | 9,572 | 3.99% |
Asian | 7,571 | 3.15% |
Some Other Race | 3,646 | 1.52% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 419 | 0.17% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 150 | 0.06% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 84,849 | 2.76 | 71.4 |
Married | 46,736 | 3.25 | 83.5 |
Non Family | 21,606 | 1.24 | 61.3 |
Female | 12,425 | 3.41 | 47.9 |
Male | 4,082 | 3.21 | 56.9 |
3.21
Average Family Size
2.76
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 3,549 | 2.20% |
9th to 12th Grade | 9,100 | 5.65% |
High School Graduate | 38,715 | 24.04% |
Some College | 40,503 | 25.15% |
Associates Degree | 15,777 | 9.80% |
Bachelors Degree | 33,407 | 20.74% |
Graduate Degree | 19,991 | 12.41% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 96,795 | 91,183 | 33,823 |
Black | 47,374 | 42,355 | 13,288 |
Hispanic | 8,016 | 6,778 | 2,240 |
Asian | 5,883 | 5,209 | 2,913 |
Multiple Races | 3,485 | 3,364 | 1,358 |
Other Race | 2,303 | 1,654 | 423 |
Native American | 357 | 329 | 85 |
Islander | 112 | 112 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100.00%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 49.52%.
$45,787
Average Earnings
$54,298
Average Male
$38,957
Average Female
91.71% of Chesapeake residents speak only English, while 8.29% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4.08% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 68,870 | 9,639 | 14.00% |
White | 135,198 | 7,609 | 5.63% |
Hispanic | 14,568 | 2,411 | 16.55% |
Multiple | 9,497 | 633 | 6.67% |
Other | 3,573 | 467 | 13.07% |
Asian | 7,547 | 242 | 3.21% |
Islander | 132 | 14 | 10.61% |
Native | 400 | 13 | 3.25% |
8.57%
Overall Poverty Rate
7.16%
Male Poverty Rate
9.86%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Chesapeake is Hispanic, with 16.55% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Chesapeake is Asian, with 3.21% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.87%. Among those working part-time, it was 9.58%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 12.58%.
52.2%
Overall Marriage Rate
53.8%
Male Marriage Rate
50.7%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 17,288 | 16.09% |
Black | 7,962 | 14.91% |
Hispanic | 1,106 | 12.47% |
2 or More | 650 | 15.14% |
Other | 411 | 15.55% |
Asian | 400 | 6.54% |
Indian | 80 | 23.67% |
Hawaiian | 41 | 36.61% |
3.19%
Veteran Poverty Rate
18.54%
Veteran Disability Rate
65.9%
Labor Force Participation
59%
Employment Rate
4.7%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
94.11%
Native Born
5.89%
Foreign Born
2.32%
Non Citizen
3.57%
Naturalized
94.11% of Chesapeake residents were born in the United States, with 51.68% having been born in Virginia. 2.32% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 249,787 | 2,476 | 1.00% |
2020 | 247,311 | 2,476 | 1.01% |
2019 | 244,835 | 2,476 | 1.02% |
2018 | 242,359 | 2,216 | 0.92% |
2017 | 240,143 | 2,679 | 1.13% |
2016 | 237,464 | 2,353 | 1.00% |
2015 | 235,111 | 1,751 | 0.75% |
2014 | 233,360 | 3,033 | 1.32% |
2013 | 230,327 | 2,236 | 0.98% |
2012 | 228,091 | 2,730 | 1.21% |
2011 | 225,361 | 1,805 | 0.81% |
2010 | 223,556 | 24,372 | 1.16% |
2000 | 199,184 | 47,208 | 2.74% |
1990 | 151,976 | 37,490 | 2.87% |
1980 | 114,486 | 24,906 | 2.48% |
1970 | 89,580 | 0.00% |