Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Portsmouth grades D− overall, ranked 243rd of 249 in Virginia, mostly because of safety and schools. Its crime rate is higher than 96% of U.S. towns, with 736 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its public schools trail 89% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, it is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 24 places on the National Register. Portsmouth’s violent crime rate is 7.6 per 1,000 residents, above both Virginia’s towns (2.3) and U.S. towns (1.6). Its National Register listings include Portsmouth Courthouse and Portsmouth Olde Towne Historic District. Among 253 Virginia towns, just 1 have a higher January low than Portsmouth.
Where Portsmouth beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Drydock No. 1
Drydock No. 1 is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 6,477 in 1840, 97,915 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1757 and 7 maps from 1921 on.
24 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Portsmouth takes its name from Portsmouth in Hampshire, England, 3,700 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionPortsmouth, settled in 1752, takes its name from Portsmouth, a city in Hampshire, England.
1 more U.S. town is named after Portsmouth:Portsmouth, RI17,474
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Portsmouth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Portsmouth. Close and well known come first.
10 mi National MonumentFort Monroe National Monument
4 mi MuseumMacArthur Memorial
30 mi Theme parkBusch Gardens Williamsburg
34 mi MuseumColonial Williamsburg
4 mi Stadium & arenaNorfolk Scope
4 mi MuseumNauticusFort Monroe National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · MacArthur Memorial: Unknown, Public domain · Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Cjh1452000, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Colonial Williamsburg: Humberto Moreno, CC BY 2.0 · Norfolk Scope: Cag1970, Public domain · Nauticus: Ewelch1, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Portsmouth, 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 Portsmouth.
Portsmouth has milder winter nights than almost anywhere else in Virginia, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Virginia rate and scores below Hampton and its other neighbors on health.
Violent crime runs at 7.6 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 5 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Newport News (D) to Chesapeake (C).
Portsmouth’s property crime rate is 32.3 per 1,000 residents. Portsmouth reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Portsmouth City Public Schools. Two of its 32 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Churchland MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 798 | B |
| Churchland HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,453 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Hampton (C) to Chesapeake (B−).
Portsmouth beats the Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 43% of Portsmouth adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Portsmouth | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Portsmouth | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 7.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.5% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Portsmouth home is worth about $267,000, up 2.5% in a year, 35% below the Virginia typical home. 58% of households own their home in Portsmouth.
| Portsmouth | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 68% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 60% | 47% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,300 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1,333 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 253 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 1,333 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Portsmouth.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 33.1°, the #2 highest of 700 Virginia places with climate records; July afternoons average 88.5°. The Norfolk Intl Ap weather station, 10 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 252 days, the highest of 700 Virginia places with climate records.
Portsmouth has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Portsmouth is 89°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Portsmouth for work: only 17% work in town. The top destinations are Chesapeake (19%), Norfolk (16%) and Virginia Beach (14%). Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Portsmouth | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
18 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve, 110 acres with 2.3 miles of trail.
| Portsmouth | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve | 2.3 mi | 110 |
| 2. Paradise Creek Nature Park | 2.2 mi | 39 |
| 3. Portsmouth Sportsplex | 0.5 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
16 within 15 miles of the center of Portsmouth
About 6 of every 100 Portsmouth residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Virginia.
24 places in Portsmouth on the National Register of Historic Places.
39 notable people were born in Portsmouth.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Portsmouth ( PORTS-məth) is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. It lies across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is the ninth-most populous city in Virginia and is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Due to its strategic location, the city has long been associated with the United States Armed Forces, particularly the Navy. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard is a historic and active Navy facility located in Portsmouth.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Portsmouth.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Norfolk (D) is closest.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | #243 | D− | C | D− | D | C− |
| Chesapeake | #200 | C | C− | C | B+ | B− |
| Suffolk | #230 | D | C− | C | C | C+ |
| Norfolk | #238 | D | C | D | D− | C+ |
| Hampton | #206 | C | C | C− | B+ | C |
| Newport News | #227 | D | C | D | C | C |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Portsmouth grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #243 of 249 in Virginia. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.2 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.
39 notable people were born here, including Patton Oswalt and LaShawn Merritt.
.jpg){kind=link}
