Portsmouth, Virginia Population 2023

98,629

Portsmouth is a city located in Virginia. With a 2023 population of 98,629, it is the 10th largest city in Virginia and the 360th largest city in the United States.Portsmouth is currently growing at a rate of 0.24% annually and its population has increased by 0.73% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 97,915 in 2020. Spanning over 47 miles, Portsmouth has a population density of 2,962 people per square mile.

The average household income in Portsmouth is $63,882 with a poverty rate of 18.81%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Portsmouth is 35.5 years, 33.5 years for males, and 37.4 years for females.

Portsmouth Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Portsmouth was:

  • Black or African American: 52.62%
  • White: 38.91%
  • Two or more races: 4.18%
  • Other race: 1.98%
  • Asian: 1.59%
  • Native American: 0.36%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.36%
The current population of Portsmouth, Virginia is 98,629 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 97,915.

Portsmouth, Virginia Population 2023

Population by Race

Black or African American

White

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Portsmouth Population by Race

Portsmouth Population Pyramid 2023

Portsmouth Median Age

35.5

Total

33.5

Male

37.4

Female

Portsmouth Adults

There are 72,801 adults, (13,997 of whom are seniors) in Portsmouth.

Portsmouth Age Dependency

61.5

Age Dependency Ratio

23.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

37.7

Child Dependency Ratio

Portsmouth Sex Ratio

Female49,13551.74%
Male45,82648.26%

Portsmouth Population by Age

Portsmouth Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

3.18

Average Family Size

2.49

Average Household Size

55.3%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Portsmouth Households and Families

Male

Female

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Portsmouth Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Portsmouth Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

The highest rate of high school graduation is among other race people with a rate of 92.46%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 22.48%.

Portsmouth Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

$37,955

Average Earnings

$43,678

Average Male

$30,845

Average Female

Portsmouth Earnings by Educational Attainment

Portsmouth Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Portsmouth Language

95.07% of Portsmouth residents speak only English, while 4.93% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 2.85% of the population.

Portsmouth Language

Portsmouth Poverty by Race

rate

18.81%

Overall Poverty Rate

12.46%

Male Poverty Rate

18.67%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Portsmouth

The race most likely to be in poverty in Portsmouth is Other, with 52.08% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Portsmouth is Native, with 2.65% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.5%. Among those working part-time, it was 17.61%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 22.65%.

Portsmouth Poverty

Portsmouth Poverty Rate by Education

Portsmouth Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Portsmouth Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Portsmouth Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

37.1%

Overall Marriage Rate

38.9%

Male Marriage Rate

35.4%

Female Marriage Rate

Portsmouth Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Portsmouth Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Portsmouth Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Portsmouth Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

10,023

Number of Veterans

8,087

Male Veterans

1,936

Female Veterans

Portsmouth Veterans by War

Portsmouth Veterans by Age

count

Portsmouth Veterans by Race

Portsmouth Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

9.06%

Veteran Poverty Rate

23.26%

Veteran Disability Rate

Portsmouth Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

63.5%

Labor Force Participation

54.7%

Employment Rate

6.3%

Unemployment Rate

Portsmouth Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Portsmouth Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Portsmouth Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

61.04%

Born in Portsmouth

93.7%

Native Born

3.28%

Foreign Born

1.46%

Non Citizen

1.82%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

93.7% of Portsmouth residents were born in the United States, with 61.04% having been born in Virginia. 1.46% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Portsmouth Place of Birth

Note: data after 2020 is projected based on recent growth

Portsmouth Population by Year