Chesapeake, Virginia Population 2024

255,254

Chesapeake Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Chesapeake was:

  • White: 57.28%
  • Black or African American: 29.29%
  • Two or more races: 7.13%
  • Asian: 3.68%
  • Other race: 2.4%
  • Native American: 0.17%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.06%
Land Area (mi²)
338.5 sq mi
Density (mi²)
754.20/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
2.19% (5,473)
The current population of Chesapeake, Virginia is 255,254 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 249,781.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White142,84057.28%
Black or African American73,03429.29%
Two or more races17,7867.13%
Asian9,1793.68%
Other race5,9772.4%
Native American4170.17%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander1440.06%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Chesapeake Population by Race

Chesapeake Population Pyramid 2024

Chesapeake Median Age

37.4

Total

36.2

Male

38.5

Female

Chesapeake Adults

There are 189,273 adults, (34,375 of whom are seniors) in Chesapeake.

Chesapeake Age Dependency

61

Age Dependency Ratio

22.2

Old Age Dependency Ratio

38.8

Child Dependency Ratio

Chesapeake Sex Ratio

Female126,70550.81%
Male122,67249.19%

Chesapeake Population by Age

Chesapeake Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All91,3682.6873.326.7
Married50,2833.2485.714.3
Non Family24,6081.2161.138.9
Female12,8413.2251.548.5
Male3,6362.9862.237.8

3.15

Average Family Size

2.68

Average Household Size

73.3%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Chesapeake Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade7,0424.19%
Associates Degree16,98910.1%
Bachelors Degree37,31122.18%
Graduate Degree22,84913.58%
High School Graduate39,47323.46%
Less Than 9th Grade4,2032.5%
Some College40,35723.99%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Chesapeake Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Chesapeake Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White97,27992,31036,090
Black49,60345,67515,431
Hispanic9,5258,0553,111
2+ Races7,5587,0993,529
Asian6,6286,0103,277
Other Race3,9242,991729
Native American309283140
Islander13110233

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.89%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 49.44%.

Chesapeake Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$66,460$88,106$51,703
Graduate Degree$88,500$101,644$73,892
High School Graduate$41,341$48,084$31,550
Less Than 9th Grade$24,863$28,071$22,106
Overall$54,283$65,243$43,743
Some College$47,411$60,115$36,517

$54,283

Average Earnings

$65,243

Average Male

$43,743

Average Female

Chesapeake Earnings by Educational Attainment

Chesapeake Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Chesapeake Language

91.55% of Chesapeake residents speak only English, while 8.45% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 3.72% of the population.

Chesapeake Language

Chesapeake Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black70,7888,44111.92%
White135,4256,9725.15%
Hispanic17,2392,11412.26%
Multiple17,5841,3997.96%
Other5,84579113.53%
Asian9,1375075.55%
Islander14485.56%

7.64%

Overall Poverty Rate

6.86%

Male Poverty Rate

8.37%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Chesapeake

The race most likely to be in poverty in Chesapeake is Other, with 13.53% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Chesapeake is White, with 5.15% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.53%. Among those working part-time, it was 10.81%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 12.98%.

Chesapeake Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade15.86%
High School8.32%
Some College6.24%
Bachelors or Greater2.87%

Chesapeake Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed13.87%
Female Unemployed12.4%
Female Employed5.11%
Male Employed2.92%

Chesapeake Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Chesapeake Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$109,923$131,047
Households$92,703$114,454
Married Families$128,605$148,952
Non Families$53,004$63,651

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Chesapeake Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

53.8%

Overall Marriage Rate

56.4%

Male Marriage Rate

51.4%

Female Marriage Rate

Chesapeake Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Chesapeake Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Chesapeake Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Chesapeake Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

28,497

Number of Veterans

22,376

Male Veterans

6,121

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
First Gulf War13,461
Second Gulf War13,459
Vietnam6,388
Korea545
World War II194

Chesapeake Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
35 to 5411,987
55 to 645,508
65 to 745,008
18 to 343,032
75+2,962

Chesapeake Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White16,39415.58%
Black9,60117.28%
Hispanic1,60815.6%
2+ Races1,29414.7%
Other Race76818.22%
Asian3595.37%
Native American7122.61%
Islander1011.76%

Chesapeake Veterans by Race

Chesapeake Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

3.11%

Veteran Poverty Rate

20.18%

Veteran Disability Rate

Chesapeake Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

67.2%

Labor Force Participation

59.8%

Employment Rate

5%

Unemployment Rate

Chesapeake Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Chesapeake Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Chesapeake Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

50.52%

Born in Chesapeake

93.98%

Native Born

6.02%

Foreign Born

2.25%

Non Citizen

3.77%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

93.98% of Chesapeake residents were born in the United States, with 50.52% having been born in Virginia. 2.25% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Chesapeake Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
2029262,0961,3690.53%
2028260,7271,3680.53%
2027259,3591,3680.53%
2026257,9911,3690.53%
2025256,6221,3680.54%
2024255,2541,3680.54%
2023253,8861,4270.57%
2022252,4596960.28%
2021251,7631,9820.79%
2020249,7814,3781.78%
2019245,4032,6551.09%
2018242,7482,3320.97%
2017240,4162,7601.16%
2016237,6562,4031.02%
2015235,2531,7760.76%
2014233,4773,0621.33%
2013230,4152,2811%
2012228,1342,7741.23%
2011225,3601,8350.82%
2010223,52500%
2000199,18447,20831.06%
1990151,97637,49032.75%
1980114,48624,90627.8%
197089,580-172,516-65.82%

Chesapeake Population by Year