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Compare towns

Norfolk vs Hampton

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (2.3× in Norfolk) and property tax bill (+24% in Norfolk).

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Norfolk, VAA colonial town, settled 1682Virginia · 233,596 people
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Hampton, VAA colonial town, settled 1610Virginia · 137,557 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 · Report cards

Norfolk places higher on 13 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $190 more a month in Norfolk

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.

Norfolk$1,900/mo
Typical home $312K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.00% · or rent about $1,321/mo · Housing →
Hampton$1,700/mo
Typical home $282K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $1,427/mo · Housing →

The difference: $190 a month, about $2,300 a year, between Norfolk 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.

Where they are

Norfolk and Hampton share a border

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

NorfolkHamptonNorfolkHampton
Norfolk ↔ Hampton9.1 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
4,471 Hampton residents work in Norfolk (8.6% of its workers)
2,468 Norfolk residents work in Hampton (3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Hampton →
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
NorfolkHampton
Snow a year6″3″
January low34°F32°F
July high89°F87°F
Growing season (days)252d238d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)22nd18th
Outdoors & history
NorfolkHampton
Conserved land4.4%2%
Settled16821610
National Register places6731
Archive photos1118
Famous people born here40—
Community
NorfolkHampton
Library hours a week45 hrs56 hrs
Colleges in town42
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.

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.

NorfolkHampton
People
Population 233,596Highest 137,557Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2%Lowest VA: +7.9% -0.2%Highest VA: +7.9%
Median age 32.7±0.2Lowest 16% below VA 36.8±0.2Highest 6% below VA
Kids under 18 20.3%±0.5Lowest VA: 21.7% 21.5%±0.6Highest VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 13%±0.4Lowest VA: 16.7% 16.7%±0.7Highest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.5%Highest VA: 42.2% 28.5%Lowest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 9.8%±0.5Highest VA: 6.9% 7.5%±0.7Lowest VA: 6.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,109±$2kLowest 29% below VA $69,621±$2kHighest 25% below VA
Hampton and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $289,900±$5kHighest 24% below VA $245,700±$5kLowest 36% below VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,321±$27Lowest 16% below VA $1,427±$35Highest 10% below VA
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,890Highest 4% above VA $2,327Lowest 17% below VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.9%±2Lowest VA: 48.5% 57.3%±3.7Highest VA: 48.5%
Hampton and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.5%Highest VA: 9.9% 12.7%Lowest VA: 9.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 46.3%Lowest VA: 67.3% 56.9%Highest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Lowest 20 yrs older than VA 1974Highest 10 yrs older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minHighest 16% below VA 23 minLowest 18% below VA
Work from home 10.2%±0.8Lowest VA: 18.3% 10.4%±1Highest VA: 18.3%
Hampton and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 35.8%Highest 24.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miLowest 9.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.47Highest 0.87Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Virginia Beach (22%)Newport News (27%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in Hampton9% work in Norfolk
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Highest 2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 33.0 miLowest 37.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 mi 0.3 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 49Highest 24Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 72.2Highest 30.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #190 of 219 in VA#91 of 219 in VA
School district Department of Education State-Operated Educ Prgms · Tidewater Regional Alternative Ed ProjectNew Horizons Career and Technical Center · Hampton City Public Schools
High school in town Granby HighBethel High
Students per teacherat that high school 17.1Highest 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.

Norfolk neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Norfolk’s Town Square.

Hampton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hampton’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Norfolk

Towns like Norfolk

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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