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Compare towns

Suffolk vs Hampton

31 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (7.7× in Suffolk) and street grid (3.5× in Hampton).

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Suffolk, VAA colonial town, settled 1742Virginia · 98,796 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 · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $640 more a month in Suffolk

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.

Suffolk$2,340/mo
Typical home $390K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $1,563/mo · Housing →
Hampton$1,700/mo
Typical home $282K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $1,427/mo · Housing →

The difference: $640 a month, about $7,700 a year, between Suffolk 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

Suffolk places higher on 16 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
SuffolkHampton
Snow a year4″3″
January low29°F32°F
July high89°F87°F
Growing season (days)208d238d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)29th18th
Outdoors & history
SuffolkHampton
Conserved land15.5%2%
Settled17421610
National Register places2631
Archive photos—18
Community
SuffolkHampton
Library hours a week54 hrs56 hrs
Colleges in town—2
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

31 miles apart

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

Suffolk ↔ Hampton31 miles apart
Who commutes between them
1,578 Suffolk residents work in Hampton (3.9% of its workers)
1,017 Hampton residents work in Suffolk (2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Suffolk →
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.

SuffolkHampton
People
Population 98,796Lowest 137,557Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +11.5%Highest VA: +7.9% -0.2%Lowest VA: +7.9%
Median age 38.7±0.3Highest about the VA average 36.8±0.2Lowest 6% below VA
Kids under 18 23.6%±0.7Highest VA: 21.7% 21.5%±0.6Lowest VA: 21.7%
Age 65+ 15.3%±0.6Lowest VA: 16.7% 16.7%±0.7Highest VA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.3%Highest VA: 42.2% 28.5%Lowest VA: 42.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±0.6Lowest VA: 6.9% 7.5%±0.7Highest VA: 6.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $92,666±$4kHighest about the VA average $69,621±$2kLowest 25% below VA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $347,400±$6kHighest 9% below VA $245,700±$5kLowest 36% below VA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,563±$58Highest about the VA average $1,427±$35Lowest 10% below VA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,229Highest 16% above VA $2,327Lowest 17% below VA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57%±5Lowest VA: 48.5% 57.3%±3.7Highest VA: 48.5%
Hampton and Suffolk 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 70.7%Highest VA: 67.3% 56.9%Lowest VA: 67.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1996Highest 12 yrs newer than VA 1974Lowest 10 yrs older than VA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 11% above VA 23 minLowest 18% below VA
Work from home 10.7%±1.2Highest VA: 18.3% 10.4%±1Lowest VA: 18.3%
Suffolk and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 21.9%Lowest 24.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.8 miHighest 9.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.76Lowest 0.87Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chesapeake (14%)Newport News (27%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 4% work in Hampton2% work in Suffolk
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15.5%Highest 2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 285.4 miHighest 37.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 28Highest 24Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 8.9Lowest 30.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #152 of 219 in VA#91 of 219 in VA
School district Suffolk City Public SchoolsNew Horizons Career and Technical Center · Hampton City Public Schools
High school in town King's Fork HighBethel High
Students per teacherat that high school 16.2Highest 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.

Suffolk neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Suffolk’s Town Square.

Hampton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hampton’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Suffolk

Towns like Suffolk

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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