Photo: Bruce Emmerling · CC BY-SA 4.0Unemployment in Norfolk (5.7%) is higher than in 71% of U.S. towns
About one in three work in Norfolk; the top destination outside it is Virginia Beach (22%, 16 miles). Home is the office for 10% of workers; Virginia has 18%. Working residents average 23 minutes each way, next to 27 for Virginia and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Norfolk
A lot of Norfolk works one town over
42% of working residents work in a town that borders Norfolk: Virginia Beach (22%), Chesapeake (13%) and Portsmouth (4%). Next door ↓
Most Norfolk residents work close to home
60% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Norfolk
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Norfolk is better than 42% of U.S. towns, #189 of 253 in Virginia. Job access by car holds Norfolk’s grade up (ahead of 90% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (16.5%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Norfolk could be anywhere from C+ to B−.
Miles to work from Norfolk
About 16% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The daily flow of workers through Norfolk
On a workday 53,078 residents head out to work, 29,612 work right here, and 91,980 people come in from elsewhere.
About 270,000 people are in Norfolk on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.47 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where the trip to work from Norfolk ends
Where Norfolk clocks in
22% of workers
13% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Inside Norfolk’s 121,592 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Norfolk, 2013 → 2023: 122,117 → 121,592. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Norfolk’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 23 minutes from Norfolk
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Norfolk workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 111,868 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Virginia: 83% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Norfolk is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 124,521 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 91% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 44% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 11.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 95% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 11.5% of Norfolk households have no vehicle (Virginia 6.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Norfolk’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
For jobs and income, Norfolk is 71st of 105 U.S. towns of 162,000 to 312,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Hempstead NY | 238,982 | $158K | 4.5% | 4.1% | 20% | A |
| 2 | Oyster Bay NY | 301,115 | $160K | 3.9% | 4.6% | 19% | A |
| 3 | Frisco TX | 236,955 | $150K | 3.6% | 4.6% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Arlington VA | 236,254 | $142K | 7.4% | 3.3% | 20% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Chesapeake VA | 255,332 | $95K | 9.4% | 4.9% | 31% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Des Moines IA | 212,086 | $66K | 15.0% | 5.6% | 41% | C+ |
| 70 | Salem OR | 181,779 | $75K | 14.4% | 5.8% | 49% | C+ |
| 71 | Norfolk VA | 231,013 | $66K | 16.5% | 5.7% | 36% | C+ |
| 72 | Spokane WA | 230,783 | $70K | 13.8% | 5.7% | 52% | C+ |
| 73 | Newport News VA | 183,230 | $70K | 14.5% | 5.8% | 40% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 75 | Richmond VA | 237,257 | $65K | 18.2% | 5.7% | 36% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 105 | Shreveport LA | 175,902 | $49K | 23.5% | 9.0% | 61% | C− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Norfolk, the top three, the last and three more from Virginia.
Work next door: 42% of Norfolk’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Norfolk workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | – | C+ | A+ | 23 min | $66,109 |
| Virginia Beach | 22% | A− | A− | 23 min | $92,968 |
| Chesapeake | 13% | B+ | B+ | 26 min | $95,373 |
| Portsmouth | 4% | C | A | 24 min | $60,491 |
| Hampton | 3% | C+ | A− | 23 min | $69,621 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Virginia Beach. Darker towns draw more of Norfolk’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Norfolk: questions
What is the median household income in Norfolk?
$66,109 (±$1,785) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $93,170 across Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Norfolk?
16.5%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Norfolk?
23 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Virginia and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Norfolk work?
36% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Virginia Beach (22%, 16 mi), Chesapeake (13%, 17 mi), Portsmouth (4%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Norfolk walkable?
Norfolk is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.1 out of 20, and 9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Norfolk without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 44% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Norfolk, from the people who make the trip.
More of Norfolk
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.