Demographics · VA
Chesapeake, VA demographics: 252,583 residents, with a median age of 37.9 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
252,583 people live in Chesapeake, at a median age of 37.9 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 37.9 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Chesapeake, the largest race group is White (55.1%); 7.7% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 5.8% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Chesapeake is 37.9 years (±0.2), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 49.1% male and 50.9% female. The largest age band is 5 to 17 at 18.1%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 15,300 | 6.1% | ±87 |
| 5 to 17 | 45,725 | 18.1% | ±1,150 |
| 18 to 24 | 20,189 | 8.0% | ±947 |
| 25 to 34 | 34,146 | 13.5% | ±87 |
| 35 to 44 | 37,911 | 15.0% | ±1,291 |
| 45 to 54 | 30,668 | 12.1% | ±78 |
| 55 to 64 | 31,847 | 12.6% | ±1,134 |
| 65 to 74 | 23,021 | 9.1% | ±953 |
| 75 and over | 13,776 | 5.5% | ±737 |
Median age by sex: 36.8 (male) · 39.2 (female).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Chesapeake is White at 55.1% of the population. Separately, 7.7% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 139,259 | 55.1% | ±1,327 |
| Black or African American alone | 73,386 | 29.1% | ±1,089 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 457 | 0.2% | ±190 |
| Asian alone | 9,781 | 3.9% | ±557 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 140 | 0.1% | ±105 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 6,606 | 2.6% | ±1,208 |
| Two or more races | 22,954 | 9.1% | ±1,714 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 19,408 | 7.7% | n/a |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Chesapeake has 93,626 households. 71.1% are family households and 24.3% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.65 people.
Total households
93,626
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.65
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.02
Family households
71.1%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
24.3%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 93,626 | ±629 |
| Family households | 66,578 | ±1,329 |
| Nonfamily households | 27,048 | ±1,220 |
| Householder living alone | 22,721 | ±1,122 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
5.8% of Chesapeake residents were born outside the United States. 91.6% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (4.0%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 5.8% | 14,714 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 91.6% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 4.0% | Spanish · 9,419 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
36.9% of adults age 25 and over in Chesapeake hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 36.9% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Chesapeake is 5116000. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.