Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Norfolk earns a D, 238th of 249 graded towns in Virginia, mostly because of schools and safety. Its schools rank behind 96% of the state's. Its crime rate is higher than 92% of U.S. towns, with 913 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 67 places on the National Register. 36% of working residents work locally in Norfolk, above both the Virginia town median (4.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Norfolk Academy and U.S. Customhouse. No town among the 253 in Virginia we compare has a higher January low than Norfolk.
Where Norfolk beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Norfolk Academy| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Old Dominion University | 14,191 |
| Tidewater Community College | 10,715 |
| Norfolk State University | 5,260 |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Crossroads PreK-8 School | PK–8 | 790 |
| Southside STEM Academy at Campostella | K–8 | 686 |
| Lake Taylor | K–8 | 664 |
Its founding year, 1682, comes before those of 96% of the Virginia towns we grade with a known year. Its 67 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Virginia towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,959 in 1790, 238,005 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1728 and 7 maps from 1921 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Norfolk is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Norfolk. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National MonumentFort Monroe National Monument
in town MuseumMacArthur Memorial
in town Stadium & arenaNorfolk Scope
31 mi Theme parkBusch Gardens Williamsburg
35 mi MuseumColonial Williamsburg
in town MuseumNauticusFort Monroe National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · MacArthur Memorial: Unknown, Public domain · Norfolk Scope: Cag1970, Public domain · Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Cjh1452000, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Colonial Williamsburg: Humberto Moreno, CC BY 2.0 · Nauticus: Ewelch1, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Norfolk, 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 Norfolk.
Norfolk has milder winter nights than almost anywhere else in Virginia, but it trails Virginia Beach and its other neighbors on schools and reports property crime at about twice the Virginia rate.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D−, Virginia Beach highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Norfolk City Public Schools. Two of its 78 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norview MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,196 | D |
| Granby HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,980 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 31.5 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 10,047 to 8,169 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Norfolk is 31.5 per 1,000 residents. Norfolk reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less. The violent crime rate in Norfolk is 4 per 1,000 residents.
| Norfolk | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 31.5 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4,748 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 980 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 4,748 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Norfolk.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 46.3% of households own their home, against 67.3% across Virginia.
Adults 18 to 34 are 34% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (39% statewide). 13% of Norfolk residents are 65 or older. Norfolk has lost 3% of its people since 2020, down to 231,013 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Norfolk | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.7 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 44% | 29% |
49.3% women, 50.7% men
About 103 men for every 100 women. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 34.5, men 31.1.
| Norfolk | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.8% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.5% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.8% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.8% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.4% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.1% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Norfolk home is worth about $311,000, up 1.5% in a year, 25% below the Virginia typical home. 46% of households own their home in Norfolk.
| Norfolk | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 68% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 47% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,321 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 33.2°, the highest of 700 Virginia places with climate records; July afternoons average 88.2°. The Norfolk Intl Ap weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 252 days, the highest of 700 Virginia places with climate records.
Norfolk has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Norfolk’s July high is 88°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Norfolk’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Virginia Beach (22%), Chesapeake (13%) and Portsmouth (4%). Half commute less than 8 miles.
| Norfolk | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 10% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Norfolk beats the Virginia average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. Only 10 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Norfolk.
| Norfolk | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Norfolk | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22.6% | 26.2% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.2% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
33 miles of trail in 49 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Northside Park, at 50 acres.
| Norfolk | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tarrallton Park | 0.9 mi | 36 |
| 2. Poplar Hall Park | 0.3 mi | 20 |
| 3. Northside Park | 0.1 mi | 50 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
16 within 15 miles of the center of Norfolk
About 10 of every 100 Norfolk residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
4 colleges in town.
67 places in Norfolk on the National Register of Historic Places.
37 notable people were born in Norfolk.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Norfolk (locally NOR-fək) is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in both the Hampton Roads metropolitan area and in Virginia, after neighboring cities Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, as well as the 101st-most populous city in the United States. The city holds a strategic position as the historical, urban, financial, and cultural center of the Hampton Roads area (sometimes called "Tidewater"), which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the 37th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Norfolk was established in 1682 as a colonial seaport. Strategically located at the confluence…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Norfolk.
Virginia Beach next door grades higher for schools (A to Norfolk’s D−) and lower for cost of living (D to C).
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | #238 | D | C | D | D− | C+ |
| Virginia Beach | #130 | B+ | D | B− | A | B+ |
| Chesapeake | #200 | C | C− | C | B+ | B− |
| Portsmouth | #243 | D− | C | D− | D | C− |
| Hampton | #206 | C | C | C− | B+ | C |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Norfolk grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #238 of 249 in Virginia. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($82,330 across the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
37 notable people were born here, including Patrick Wilson and Grant Gustin.
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