Newport News is a city located in York County, Hampton city, and Newport News city Virginia. Newport News has a 2024 population of 182,141. Newport News is currently declining at a rate of -0.53% annually and its population has decreased by -2.1% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 186,047 in 2020.
The average household income in Newport News is $83,733 with a poverty rate of 14.67%. The median age in Newport News is 34.1 years: 32.4 years for males, and 36 years for females.
Newport News is an independent city located in the southeastern region of the Virginia peninsula along the shore of the James River. Newport News is the 5th largest city in Virginia and part of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metropolitan area which as a combined population of 1.74 million.
Between 2010 and 2015, Newport News was still growing but very slowly, adding just 1,500 residents over five years. Since then, Newport News and surrounding cities like Norfolk and Hampton have had more people leave than move in. This trend is expected to continue thanks to an aging population, decreasing birth rates, and a slowing economy in Virginia.
After Jamestown was founded in Virginia in 1607, English settlers began settling surrounding communities near Hampton Roads. Sir Thomas Gates took a nearby American Indian settlement called Kecoughtan in 1610 and settlers began clearing land along James River that included present-day Newport News. By 1619, the Newport News area was part of one of four corporations under the Virginia Company of London.
It was in 1619 that the first written record of Newport News was found in records from the Virginia Company. At the time, it was spelled as everything from Newportes Newes and Newports Newes to Newport-news. The city was named in honor of Captain Christopher Newport, the commander of the Susan Constant and flagship of the English fleet that landed at Jamestown.
Until the American Civil War, Newport News was a rural plantation community. Later, the establishment of a shipyard brought in thousands of workers and the region began to grow. Newport News became one of just a few Virginia cities to be incorporated before it was a town. Throughout the 19th century, what was once a farm trading community grew into a city with the development of new suburbs and industry.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Newport News was:
White
Black or African American
Two or more races
Asian
Other race
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 75,465 | 2.36 | 47.6 | 52.4 |
| Non Family | 31,918 | 1.22 | 37.5 | 62.5 |
| Married | 27,159 | 3.16 | 68.6 | 31.4 |
| Female | 12,529 | 3.28 | 29.1 | 70.9 |
| Male | 3,859 | 3.09 | 43.5 | 56.5 |
3.08
Average Family Size
2.36
Average Household Size
47.6%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Male
Female
Less Than 9th Grade
9th to 12th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Graduate Degree
High School Graduation Rate
Bachelors Rate
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 55.07%.
All
Male
Female
$45,447
Average Earnings
$53,742
Average Male
$36,475
Average Female
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
89.42% of Newport News residents speak only English, while 10.58% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 5.9% of the population.
rate
14.67%
Overall Poverty Rate
12.96%
Male Poverty Rate
16.23%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Newport News is Other, with 26.66% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Newport News is Native, with 3.88% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.66%. Among those working part-time, it was 18.56%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 26.23%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
40.1%
Overall Marriage Rate
42.1%
Male Marriage Rate
38.2%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
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 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
9.37%
Veteran Poverty Rate
20.44%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
67.6%
Labor Force Participation
58%
Employment Rate
5.6%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
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.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
50.23%
Born in Newport News
92.14%
Native Born
7.86%
Foreign Born
3.63%
Non Citizen
4.22%
Naturalized
92.14% of Newport News residents were born in the United States, with 50.23% having been born in Virginia. 3.63% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2029 | 177,259 | -977 | -0.55% |
| 2028 | 178,236 | -976 | -0.54% |
| 2027 | 179,212 | -976 | -0.54% |
| 2026 | 180,188 | -977 | -0.54% |
| 2025 | 181,165 | -976 | -0.54% |
| 2024 | 182,141 | -977 | -0.53% |
| 2023 | 183,118 | -862 | -0.47% |
| 2022 | 183,980 | -711 | -0.38% |
| 2021 | 184,691 | -1,356 | -0.73% |
| 2020 | 186,047 | 6,311 | 3.51% |
| 2019 | 179,736 | 832 | 0.47% |
| 2018 | 178,904 | -834 | -0.46% |
| 2017 | 179,738 | -734 | -0.41% |
| 2016 | 180,472 | -649 | -0.36% |
| 2015 | 181,121 | -540 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 181,661 | 273 | 0.15% |
| 2013 | 181,388 | 1,240 | 0.69% |
| 2012 | 180,148 | 9 | 0% |
| 2011 | 180,139 | -766 | -0.42% |
| 2010 | 180,905 | 0 | 0% |
| 2000 | 180,150 | 10,105 | 5.94% |
| 1990 | 170,045 | 25,142 | 17.35% |
| 1980 | 144,903 | 6,726 | 4.87% |
| 1970 | 138,177 | 24,515 | 21.57% |
| 1960 | 113,662 | 71,304 | 168.34% |
| 1950 | 42,358 | 5,291 | 14.27% |
| 1940 | 37,067 | 2,650 | 7.7% |
| 1930 | 34,417 | -1,179 | -3.31% |
| 1920 | 35,596 | 15,391 | 76.17% |
| 1910 | 20,205 | 570 | 2.9% |
| 1900 | 19,635 | 15,186 | 341.34% |
| 1890 | 4,449 | -172,810 | -97.49% |