Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cape Charles’ best subject grades are an A for walkability, an A− for safety, and an A+ for the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for incomes. 38% of residents are 65 or older in Cape Charles, against 16% in Virginia’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. On safety, just 8 of Virginia’s 105 towns do better. Cape Charles’ trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile, above both Virginia’s towns (0.7) and U.S. towns (0.4). On the outdoors, just 17 of Virginia’s 372 towns do better. Cape Charles has 5 places on the National Register. Cape Charles has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Cape Charles beats most towns.
1,009 counted in 2010 and 1,178 in 2020; an estimated 1,314 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Cape Charles is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,040 in 1900, a peak of 2,527 in 1930, 1,178 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1676 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cape Charles, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Cape Charles.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Charles Christian School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–7 | Grades PK–7 | 56 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Cape Charles is 2.3 per 1,000 residents. Cape Charles reports less crime per resident than 77% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Cape Charles | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 14.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
20% of adults have diabetes in Cape Charles. No town among the 254 in Virginia we compare has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Cape Charles. 39% of adults have obesity in Cape Charles.
| Cape Charles | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 33% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Cape Charles | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 85.6% | 76.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.3% | 6.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central Park | 0.5 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Cape Charles has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 32° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cape Charles.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cape Charles’ average trip to work is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Cape Charles grew to 660 in 2023, 355 more than in 2013. 13% of Cape Charles residents live below the poverty line.
| Cape Charles | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Cape Charles home is worth about $407,000, up 5% in a year, close to the Virginia typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Cape Charles; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Cape Charles residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Cape Charles on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Commonwealth of Virginia, United States
Cape Charles is a town/municipal corporation in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,178 as of the 2020 Census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 6.6 years of the area's median household income ($61,632 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Johnny Sample and Daniel L. Burrows.
