ChincoteagueVA
A town of 3,296, settled in 1908. Nearly 31.7% of it is conserved land.
Population
3,296
+13.7% since 2010
Typical home
$371K
+0.5% in a year
Household income
$63K
median
Jobs based here
945
A commuter town
What makes Chincoteague stand out The 3 things Chincoteague does most differently from other towns.
By the sea Chincoteague lives by the ocean Coastal flooding makes up 70% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
70% of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
100th percentile for coastal flood risk nationally
114 paid flood-insurance claims since 1989
4 storm & flood disasters paid out here
On the water
Lately on the coast
How did your street fare in the last storm?
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Residents weigh in
Chincoteague is #1 of 255 in VA for “Vacation-home towns”. Fair?
Agree Disagree
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In the news: Chincoteague Causeway closed due to high tidal conditions → How did your street fare in the last storm? → What’s your favorite trail or park in Chincoteague? → How do you get to work from Chincoteague? →
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar. Add an event
The data Ordered by what stands out in Chincoteague. Another town gets a different order.
Outdoors
Nearly a third of Chincoteague is conserved land 4.3 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves.
31.7% conserved
31.7%
conserved · 7,566 of 23,871 acres
4.3 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
#6
most conserved land in VA
Biggest places to walk Trails Acres 1. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge 1 mi 856 2. Memorial Park 0.1 mi 5 3. Donald J. Leonard Park — 2
Work & commute
About one in four working residents works right in Chincoteague About one in 4 of Chincoteague’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Accomac (5%), Salisbury (3%) and Chesapeake (3%). Half commute less than 31 miles.
26% work in town
Where working residents work In Chincoteague 26%
Accomac 5%
Salisbury 3%
Chesapeake 3%
Washington 3%
31 mi
median commute distance
945
jobs based in Chincoteague
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Housing
A typical Chincoteague home is worth about $371K The typical Chincoteague home is worth about $371,000, about the same as a year ago, 11% below the Virginia typical home.
$371K Zillow home value
Typical home value Chincoteague $371K
Virginia $415K
+0.5%
value change, 1 year
Natural hazards
Very high risk, with coastal flooding at the top Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities.
99 risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
99 Very high risk Lower Higher Coastal flooding Hurricanes Inland flooding
114
paid flood claims since 1989
4
federal disasters paid out here
Schools
Chincoteague’s public schools outperform 28% of Virginia districts The public schools Chincoteague’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 72% of Virginia’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
C School Grade
Climate
Four seasons, pleasant summers Chincoteague has mild winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
8″ snow a winter
Typical low → high °F Winter 32–48°
Spring 47–63°
Summer 68–84°
Fall 53–69°
Nov 11
typical first frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
Health
Healthier than 48% of U.S. towns Chincoteague beats the Virginia average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
B− Health Grade
32 measures vs. Virginia
What stands out Chincoteague VA Fewer adults facing housing insecurity 7.7% 10.9% Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off 5.4% 7.1% More adults who have had cancer 12.6% 7.7%
Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital
26.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
42nd
percentile among VA towns
Safety
Less crime per resident than 52% of U.S. towns Chincoteague reports less crime per resident than 52% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
B− Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents Chincoteague 1.8
Virginia 2.1
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents Chincoteague 9.8
Virginia 13.9
U.S. 15.5
52nd
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
72nd
percentile among VA towns
6
violent crimes reported in 2025
32
property crimes reported in 2025
Get outside 4 miles of trails in Chincoteague 31.7% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
1 Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge 1 mi of trails · 856 acres
Directions 2 Memorial Park 0.1 mi of trails · 5 acres
Directions
1877 · 1821 Chincoteague hurricane painting · Wikimedia Commons
Chincoteague’s story
118 years in pictures
10 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 3 places on the National Register.
Explore the history →
Landmarks 3 places in Chincoteague on the National Register of Historic Places.
All landmarks → Famous people from Chincoteague 4 notable people were born in Chincoteague.
See all 4 →
Chincoteague ( or ) is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The town includes the whole of Chincoteague Island and an area of adjacent water. The population was 3,344 at the 2020 census. The town is a tourist gateway to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on adjacent Assateague Island, the location of a popular recreational beach and home of the Virginia herd of Chincoteague Ponies. These ponies and the annual Pony Swim are the subject of Marguerite Henry's 1947 children's book Misty of Chincoteague, which was made into the 1961 family film Misty, filmed on location.
From Wikipedia , licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Established 1908
Population 3,344
Area 37 sq mi
Elevation 3 ft
ZIP code 23336
Area code 757 
