Photo: U.S. Navy photo · Public domainHow is Portsmouth run?
Portsmouth’s city government spent $546.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $5,632 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Portsmouth is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Portsmouth City Public Schools
Portsmouth’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Portsmouth, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $17,000 per pupil, $9,076 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Virginia districts overall: 49% local, 41% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $5,632 per resident a year, or $15.43 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 41% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Portsmouth runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Virginia cities of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools.
$4,570 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Portsmouth’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,570 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Virginia cities of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,932, and the middle half spent $4,204–$5,540. Portsmouth spent less than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($22.2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Virginia cities of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Portsmouth itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 26% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Portsmouth reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $4,570 · 2023: $4,642 · 2024: $5,632.
full-time in March 2025, up from 3,472 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,557 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.04% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Portsmouth’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Portsmouth’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Portsmouth →
Who’s in charge in Portsmouth
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Portsmouth’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on portsmouthva.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 26 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (97,029).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Portsmouth voted in 2024
Official results for Portsmouth’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat68.4%28,306 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican29.9%12,370 votesOthers: 1.6% (677 votes).
Most votes in Portsmouth: Kamala D Harris
Portsmouth city: Harris 68.4%, Trump 29.9% · Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%
of Portsmouth’s 73,621 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Virginia: 71%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Portsmouth: Timothy M Kaine
Portsmouth city: Kaine 71.3%, Cao 28.7% · Virginia: Kaine 54.4%, Cao 45.4%
Most votes in the district: Robert C "bobby" Scott
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Portsmouth, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | 68.4% | 29.9% | 1.6% | 41,353 |
| Portsmouth city | 68.4% | 29.9% | 1.6% | 41,353 |
| Virginia | 51.8% | 46.1% | 2.1% | 4,503,288 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Portsmouth.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: portsmouthva.gov ↗
- 2Virginia House of DelegatesPortsmouth is split between 2 districts
- 3Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Portsmouth compares with the towns next door
Portsmouth spent $4,570 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $4,162 to $5,253. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake | $4,162 runs schools | $3,108 |
| Suffolk | $4,329 runs schools | $3,229 |
| Hampton | $4,410 runs schools | $2,327 |
| Norfolk | $4,634 runs schools | $2,890 |
| Newport News | $5,253 runs schools | $2,634 |
| Portsmouth | $4,570 | $2,557 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Portsmouth’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Portsmouth’s government
How much does Portsmouth spend per resident?
About $5,632 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $4,570 was less than 61% of 18 Virginia cities of 50,000–99,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Portsmouth?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,557 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.04% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see portsmouthva.gov.
Who runs Portsmouth’s government?
See portsmouthva.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Portsmouth yet.
How did Portsmouth vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 68.4%, Donald J Trump 29.9% (41,353 votes, official results). Portsmouth city: Harris 68.4%, Trump 29.9%. Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%.
How many people work for Portsmouth?
3,707 full-time and 450 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $22.2M (about $266.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Portsmouth in the state legislature?
Portsmouth is split among 2 House of Delegates districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Virginia Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Portsmouth’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →