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Compare towns

Hampton vs Chesapeake

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

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

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.

★ 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.

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

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
HamptonChesapeake
Snow a year3″6″
January low32°F34°F
July high87°F89°F
Growing season (days)238d252d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)18th40th
Outdoors & history
HamptonChesapeake
Conserved land2%35.1%
Settled16101963
National Register places318
Archive photos236
Famous people born here—66
Community
HamptonChesapeake
Library hours a week56 hrs60 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.

HamptonChesapeakeHamptonChesapeake
Hampton ↔ Chesapeake25 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.

HamptonChesapeake
People
Population 137,557Lowest 252,583Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.2%Lowest VA: +7.9% +12.2%Highest VA: +7.9%
Median age 36.8±0.2Lowest 6% below VA 37.9±0.2Highest about the VA average
Kids under 18 21.5%±0.6Lowest VA: 21.7% 24.2%±0.5Highest VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 16.7%±0.7Highest VA: 16.7% 14.6%±0.5Lowest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.5%Lowest VA: 42.2% 36.9%Highest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.5%±0.7Highest VA: 6.9% 6.1%±0.5Lowest VA: 6.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $69,621±$2kLowest 25% below VA $95,373±$3kHighest about the VA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $245,700±$5kLowest 36% below VA $378,400±$6kHighest about the VA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,427±$35Lowest 10% below VA $1,586±$39Highest about the VA average
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,327Lowest 17% below VA $3,108Highest 11% above VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.3%±3.7Highest VA: 48.5% 57%±4Lowest 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 12.7%Highest VA: 9.9% 9.4%Lowest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.9%Lowest VA: 67.3% 74.4%Highest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1974Lowest 10 yrs older than VA 1989Highest 5 yrs newer than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 18% below VA 26 minHighest 5% below VA
Work from home 10.4%±1Lowest VA: 18.3% 13.1%±1Highest VA: 18.3%
Work in townworking residents 24.8%Lowest 30.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 mi 9.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.87Lowest 1.03Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Newport News (27%)Virginia Beach (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Chesapeake2% work in Hampton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2%Lowest 35.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 37.0 miLowest 144.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 24Lowest 70Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 30.9Highest 22.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #91 of 219 in VA#76 of 219 in VA
School district New Horizons Career and Technical Center · Hampton City Public SchoolsDepartment of Education State-Operated Educ Prgms · Chesapeake City Public Schools
High school in town Bethel HighGrassfield High
Students per teacherat that high school 14.9Lowest 15.1Highest
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.

Hampton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hampton’s Town Square.

Chesapeake neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Chesapeake’s Town Square.

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Bordering Hampton

Towns like Hampton

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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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