Portsmouth, Virginia Population 2024

96,405

Portsmouth Demographics

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

  • Black or African American: 51.44%
  • White: 37.67%
  • Two or more races: 7%
  • Other race: 1.99%
  • Asian: 1.43%
  • Native American: 0.41%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.06%
Land Area (mi²)
33.3 sq mi
Density (mi²)
2,895.0/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-1.58% (-1,550)
The current population of Portsmouth, Virginia is 96,405 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 97,955.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
Black or African American50,09151.44%
White36,68237.67%
Two or more races6,8217%
Other race1,9341.99%
Asian1,3901.43%
Native American4040.41%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander620.06%

Black or African American

White

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Portsmouth Population by Race

Portsmouth Population Pyramid 2024

Portsmouth Median Age

35.6

Total

33.7

Male

37.6

Female

Portsmouth Adults

There are 74,935 adults, (14,703 of whom are seniors) in Portsmouth.

Portsmouth Age Dependency

61.7

Age Dependency Ratio

24.4

Old Age Dependency Ratio

37.3

Child Dependency Ratio

Portsmouth Sex Ratio

Female50,50551.86%
Male46,87948.14%

Portsmouth Population by Age

Portsmouth Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All38,9622.4156.143.9
Non Family15,6461.2450.149.9
Married13,0943.1574.125.9
Female8,1913.2838.161.9
Male2,0313.1758.141.9

3.09

Average Family Size

2.41

Average Household Size

56.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Portsmouth Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade5,2458%
Associates Degree6,1959.45%
Bachelors Degree8,86313.52%
Graduate Degree5,0707.73%
High School Graduate20,98232%
Less Than 9th Grade1,6292.48%
Some College17,59126.83%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Portsmouth Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Portsmouth Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
Black33,02629,0855,546
White26,57724,3316,790
2+ Races2,9752,566733
Hispanic2,5532,364693
Other Race966893163
Asian937770385
Native American1901866
Islander29180

The highest rate of high school graduation is among native american people with a rate of 97.89%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 41.09%.

Portsmouth Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$58,607$67,797$51,616
Graduate Degree$69,237$79,158$64,531
High School Graduate$32,048$40,482$26,330
Less Than 9th Grade$26,649$34,813$23,804
Overall$43,759$50,637$35,732
Some College$43,222$49,792$34,672

$43,759

Average Earnings

$50,637

Average Male

$35,732

Average Female

Portsmouth Earnings by Educational Attainment

Portsmouth Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Portsmouth Language

95.15% of Portsmouth residents speak only English, while 4.85% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 2.81% of the population.

Portsmouth Language

Portsmouth Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black48,58310,88722.41%
White33,9202,9498.69%
Multiple6,7081,45321.66%
Hispanic4,7041,28827.38%
Other1,92548825.35%
Native36814338.86%
Asian1,3731218.81%

17.36%

Overall Poverty Rate

13.45%

Male Poverty Rate

20.83%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Portsmouth

The race most likely to be in poverty in Portsmouth is Native, with 38.86% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Portsmouth is White, with 8.69% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.07%. Among those working part-time, it was 23.17%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 25.84%.

Portsmouth Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade23.49%
High School17.79%
Some College14.14%
Bachelors or Greater4.55%

Portsmouth Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed35.41%
Male Unemployed23.75%
Female Employed10.18%
Male Employed5.19%

Portsmouth Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Portsmouth Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$66,450$85,069
Households$57,154$74,426
Married Families$92,440$-999,999,999
Non Families$38,870$54,553

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Portsmouth Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

36.9%

Overall Marriage Rate

39.2%

Male Marriage Rate

34.8%

Female Marriage Rate

Portsmouth Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Portsmouth Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Portsmouth Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Portsmouth Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

8,977

Number of Veterans

7,023

Male Veterans

1,954

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Second Gulf War3,597
First Gulf War2,839
Vietnam2,249
Korea314
World War II98

Portsmouth Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
35 to 542,882
65 to 741,725
55 to 641,696
18 to 341,475
75+1,199

Portsmouth Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White4,03114.24%
Black3,97110.74%
2+ Races74221.88%
Hispanic50717.99%
Other Race948.67%
Asian898.74%
Native American5017.01%

Portsmouth Veterans by Race

Portsmouth Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

13.26%

Veteran Poverty Rate

20.9%

Veteran Disability Rate

Portsmouth Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

63.1%

Labor Force Participation

54.3%

Employment Rate

6.6%

Unemployment Rate

Portsmouth Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Portsmouth Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Portsmouth 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

64.14%

Born in Portsmouth

96.88%

Native Born

3.12%

Foreign Born

1.39%

Non Citizen

1.73%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.88% of Portsmouth residents were born in the United States, with 64.14% having been born in Virginia. 1.39% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Portsmouth Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202994,469-387-0.41%
202894,856-387-0.41%
202795,243-388-0.41%
202695,631-387-0.4%
202596,018-387-0.4%
202496,405-388-0.4%
202396,793-161-0.17%
202296,954-698-0.71%
202197,652-303-0.31%
202097,9553,3733.57%
201994,582-297-0.31%
201894,879-85-0.09%
201794,964-323-0.34%
201695,287-1,120-1.16%
201596,4075210.54%
201495,886-237-0.25%
201396,123-393-0.41%
201296,5167490.78%
201195,7673100.32%
201095,45700%
2000100,565-3,342-3.22%
1990103,907-670-0.64%
1980104,577-6,386-5.76%
1970110,963-3,810-3.32%
1960114,77334,73443.4%
195080,03929,29457.73%
194050,7455,04111.03%
193045,704-8,683-15.97%
192054,38721,19763.87%
191033,19015,76390.45%
190017,4274,15931.35%
189013,2681,87816.49%
188011,3908007.55%
187010,5901,09411.52%
18609,4961,37416.92%
18508,1221,64525.4%
18406,477-87,992-93.14%

Portsmouth Population by Year