Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 255,332, Chesapeake does unevenly: it grades C, 200th of 249 graded towns in Virginia. The median household earns $95K. The trade-off: homes are expensive, about $424K for a typical one and 5.2 times the Virginia Beach metro’s $82K median household income. 35% of the land in Chesapeake is conserved, above both Virginia’s towns (4.6%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, at 50,334 acres with 28.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 9 have a higher January low than Chesapeake.
Where Chesapeake beats most towns.
222,209 counted in 2010 and 249,422 in 2020; an estimated 255,332 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 Chesapeake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 14,524 in 1790, a low of 14,524 in 1790, 249,422 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1775 and 7 maps from 1921 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chesapeake. Close and well known come first.
22 mi National MonumentFort Monroe National Monument
12 mi MuseumMacArthur Memorial
in town Park & preserveGreat Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
12 mi Stadium & arenaNorfolk Scope
12 mi MuseumNauticus
12 mi MuseumChrysler Museum of Art150K visitors a yearFort Monroe National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · MacArthur Memorial: Unknown, Public domain · Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region, CC BY 2.0 · Norfolk Scope: Cag1970, Public domain · Nauticus: Ewelch1, CC BY 3.0 · Chrysler Museum of Art: Gosscj at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chesapeake, 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 Chesapeake.
Chesapeake fares better on crime within Virginia than nationally and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Virginia, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its 78,585 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of Virginia towns.
145 miles of trail in 70 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge | 28.9 mi | 50,334 |
| 2. Northwest River Park | 10.6 mi | 759 |
| 3. Oak Grove Lake Park | 2.7 mi | 167 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Chesapeake City Public Schools. Three of its 70 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bridge MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,309 | B |
| Grassfield HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,345 | A |
| Great Bridge IntermediateTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 728 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
At 31.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 59% of Virginia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 5,695 to 4,578 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Chesapeake’s violent crime rate is 3.2 per 1,000 residents, where Virginia’s towns sit at 2.3 and U.S. towns at 1.6.
| Chesapeake | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.6 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Chesapeake has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Chesapeake is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Chesapeake’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Chesapeake has added 11,200 jobs, to 103,052 in 2023. The top destinations are Virginia Beach (20%), Norfolk (18%) and Portsmouth (5%).
| Chesapeake | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2,003 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 415 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 2,003 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chesapeake.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Virginia average. 37% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Chesapeake. Chesapeake has grown 2.4% since 2020, to 255,332 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Chesapeake | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 44% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.9 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
50.9% women, 49.1% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.2, men 36.8.
| Chesapeake | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.5% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.8% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.5% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.4% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 9,240 U.S. towns with household incomes like Chesapeake’s, it is less healthy than 63%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Chesapeake beats the Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 40% of Chesapeake adults have obesity.
| Chesapeake | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Chesapeake | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.4% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Chesapeake home is worth about $424,000, up 3.6% in a year, close to the Virginia typical home. Chesapeake’s median rent is $1,586 a month.
| Chesapeake | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 57% | 47% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,586 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
13 within 15 miles of the center of Chesapeake
About 6 of every 100 Chesapeake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
2 colleges in town.
8 places in Chesapeake on the National Register of Historic Places.
45 notable people were born in Chesapeake.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Chesapeake is an independent city in Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,422, making it the second-most populous city in Virginia, the tenth largest in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 92nd-most populous city in the United States. Chesapeake is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. One of the cities in the South Hampton Roads, Chesapeake was organized in 1963 by voter referendums approving the political consolidation of the city of South Norfolk with the remnants of the former Norfolk County, which dated to 1691. (Much of the territory of the county had been annexed by other cities.) Chesapeake is the second-largest city by land area in the Commonwealth of…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Chesapeake.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake | #200 | C | C− | C | B+ | B− |
| Portsmouth | #243 | D− | C | D− | D | C− |
| Virginia Beach | #130 | B+ | D | B− | A | B+ |
| Suffolk | #230 | D | C− | C | C | C+ |
| Norfolk | #238 | D | C | D | D− | C+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chesapeake grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #200 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B− for health, C for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
45 notable people were born here, including Alonzo Mourning and Grant Holloway.
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