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Chesapeake vs Hampton

25 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (3.9× in Chesapeake) and home values (+54% in Chesapeake).

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Chesapeake, VAHometown of 66 notable peopleVirginia · 252,583 people
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Hampton, VAA colonial town, settled 1610Virginia · 137,557 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

ChesapeakeHometown of 66 notable people
Famous people66 notable peopleborn in Chesapeake Outdoors#4 most conserved land in VA145 miles of trails across 70 parks and preserves College town2 collegesSentara College of Health Sciences All about Chesapeake →
HamptonA colonial town, settled 1610
HistorySettled in 161031 places on the National Register Housing$282K typical home32% below the VA typical home College town2 collegesVirginia Peninsula Community College All about Hampton →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails3.9×
Chesapeake has more miles of trail
Chesapeake 144.5 miHampton 37.0 mi
Home values+54%
Homes cost more in Chesapeake
Chesapeake $378,400Hampton $245,700
Conserved land+33.1 pts
Chesapeake has more conserved land
Chesapeake 35.1%Hampton 2%
Growth since 2010+12.4 pts
Chesapeake has grown faster since 2010
Chesapeake +12.2%Hampton -0.2%
Household income+37%
Households in Chesapeake earn more
Chesapeake $95,373Hampton $69,621
Property tax bill+34%
Tax bills are bigger in Chesapeake
Chesapeake $3,108Hampton $2,327
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $820 more a month in Chesapeake

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Chesapeake$2,520/mo
Typical home $425K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.82% · or rent about $1,586/mo · Housing →
Hampton$1,700/mo
Typical home $282K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $1,427/mo · Housing →

The difference: $820 a month, about $9,800 a year, between Chesapeake and Hampton.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Chesapeake places higher on 17 of 26 VA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Virginia ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
CChesapeakeSafer than 27% of U.S. towns C−HamptonSafer than 17% of U.S. towns
Schools
B+ChesapeakeBetter than 67% of districts in the state B+HamptonBetter than 71% of districts in the state
Health
B−ChesapeakeHealthier than 54% of U.S. towns CHamptonHealthier than 32% of U.S. towns
17Chesapeake
7Hampton

Lists won, of 26 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 243 towns #4#177 Fastest growingGrowth · 240 towns #69#207 Most library borrowingLibraries · 24 towns #13#24 Most new homesHousing · 55 towns #19#42 Most-used librariesLibraries · 24 towns #15#24 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 255 towns #186#96 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 255 towns #95#170 Best libraries for kidsLibraries · 24 towns #14#20

Left end = #1 in Virginia. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Chesapeake’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
ChesapeakeHampton
Snow a year6″3″
January low34°F32°F
July high89°F87°F
Growing season (days)252d238d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th18th
Outdoors & history
ChesapeakeHampton
Trails145 mi37 mi
Conserved land35.1%2%
Settled19631610
National Register places831
Archive photos623
Famous people born here66—
Community
ChesapeakeHampton
Library hours a week60 hrs56 hrs
Colleges in town22
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

25 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

ChesapeakeHamptonChesapeakeHampton
Chesapeake ↔ Hampton25 miles apart
Who commutes between them
2,483 Hampton residents work in Chesapeake (4.8% of its workers)
2,392 Chesapeake residents work in Hampton (2.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Hampton →
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

ChesapeakeHampton
People
Population 252,583Highest 137,557Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +12.2%Highest VA: +7.9% -0.2%Lowest VA: +7.9%
Median age 37.9±0.2Highest about the VA average 36.8±0.2Lowest 6% below VA
Kids under 18 24.2%±0.5Highest VA: 21.7% 21.5%±0.6Lowest VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 14.6%±0.5Lowest VA: 16.7% 16.7%±0.7Highest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 36.9%Highest VA: 42.2% 28.5%Lowest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.1%±0.5Lowest VA: 6.9% 7.5%±0.7Highest VA: 6.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $95,373±$3kHighest about the VA average $69,621±$2kLowest 25% below VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $378,400±$6kHighest about the VA average $245,700±$5kLowest 36% below VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,586±$39Highest about the VA average $1,427±$35Lowest 10% below VA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,108Highest 11% above VA $2,327Lowest 17% below VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57%±4Lowest VA: 48.5% 57.3%±3.7Highest VA: 48.5%
Hampton and Chesapeake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.4%Lowest VA: 9.9% 12.7%Highest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.4%Highest VA: 67.3% 56.9%Lowest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1989Highest 5 yrs newer than VA 1974Lowest 10 yrs older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 5% below VA 23 minLowest 18% below VA
Work from home 13.1%±1Highest VA: 18.3% 10.4%±1Lowest VA: 18.3%
Work in townworking residents 30.9%Highest 24.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 mi 9.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.03Highest 0.87Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Virginia Beach (20%)Newport News (27%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Hampton5% work in Chesapeake
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 35.1%Highest 2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 144.5 miHighest 37.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 70Highest 24Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 22.3Lowest 30.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #76 of 219 in VA#91 of 219 in VA
School district Department of Education State-Operated Educ Prgms · Chesapeake City Public SchoolsNew Horizons Career and Technical Center · Hampton City Public Schools
High school in town Grassfield HighBethel High
Students per teacherat that high school 15.1Highest 14.9Lowest
Virginia average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Chesapeake neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Chesapeake’s Town Square.

Hampton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hampton’s Town Square.

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Bordering Chesapeake

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Portsmouth97,190 people · $247K homes
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Virginia Beach456,349 people · $383K homes
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Suffolk98,796 people · $347K homes
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Norfolk233,596 people · $290K homes

Towns like Chesapeake

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Newport News184,216 people · $261K homes
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Richmond229,359 people · $353K homes
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Alexandria156,976 people · $735K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Virginia towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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