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Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

Latest: 2024↓ R+3.1 vs 2020

Leans Democratic — shifted 3.1pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 1.8M residents — 18 counties

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Race & ancestry
Group%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
52.6%
▶Hispanic / Latino(19)
8.0%
▶Black / African American(15)
29.6%
▶Asian(6)
4.1%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10)
0.5%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
0.3%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(4)
0.1%
Multiracial / Other
5.3%
View full demographics →
Religious adherence
Tradition% Pop% Adherents
Evangelical Protestant21.1%48.7%
Catholic8.3%19.2%
Mainline Protestant6.8%15.7%
Black Protestant3.6%8.3%
Other3.2%7.5%
LDS (Mormon)0.7%1.6%
Orthodox Christian0.3%0.7%
Non-religious56.7%—
View full religion →
Presidential results
YearResult
2024Harris+10.2
2020Biden+13.4
2016Clinton+7.7
2012Obama+10.9
2008Obama+11.0
2004Bush+6.9
2000Bush+2.6
1996Clinton+4.8
1992Bush+2.6
View full election history →

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC is a metro area that has a population of 1,787,235. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+10.2. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
YearDem %Rep %MarginSwing
202454.5%44.2%D+10.2R+3.1
202055.7%42.3%D+13.4D+5.7
201651.0%43.3%D+7.7R+3.2
201254.7%43.8%D+10.9R+0.1
200855.0%44.0%D+11.0D+17.9
200446.2%53.1%R+6.9R+4.3
200047.6%50.2%R+2.6R+7.3
199648.6%43.8%D+4.8D+7.4
199241.0%43.6%R+2.6D+15.4
198840.6%58.6%R+18.0D+3.3
198439.1%60.4%R+21.4R+18.8
198045.7%48.2%R+2.5R+11.2
197652.6%43.9%D+8.7D+42.3
197231.8%65.4%R+33.6R+36.8
196835.9%32.7%D+3.2R+16.4
196459.6%40.0%D+19.6D+11.2
196053.9%45.5%D+8.4D+17.1
195643.6%52.3%R+8.7R+11.5
195251.2%48.5%D+2.8R+21.5
194857.5%33.3%D+24.3—
Political Identity

What defines Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC?

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (5D, 1R) — a genuine swing geography. It has a racially mixed, moderately educated electorate — the suburban swing demographic that decides close elections.

Constituent Counties

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Similar metro areas

Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
8 visible matches
Constituent Geography

Counties in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Virginia Beach City456K
D+2.6
115,412109,375227,77026.2%
Chesapeake City253K
D+3.8
65,39960,550127,49314.7%
Norfolk City234K
D+41.5
59,94124,37785,6439.9%
Newport News City184K
D+28.8
48,16926,38575,6298.7%
Hampton City138K
D+39.9
43,35718,38362,6327.2%
Suffolk City99K
D+15.9
30,59722,11253,3526.1%
Portsmouth City97K
D+38.6
28,30612,37041,2524.7%
James City81K
D+6.2
26,74223,57550,8925.9%
York71K
R+6.1
18,29620,72239,5404.6%
Isle of Wight40K
R+19.8
9,77914,65924,6722.8%
Gloucester40K
R+38.4
7,03415,91823,1492.7%
Currituck31K
R+47.8
4,60413,23518,0532.1%
Williamsburg City16K
D+44.5
5,6132,1197,8510.9%
Poquoson City13K
R+45.9
2,1195,8008,0240.9%
Camden11K
R+50.7
1,5224,7166,3040.7%
Gates10K
R+21.6
2,2683,5385,8680.7%
Mathews9K
R+39.3
1,7744,1065,9290.7%
Surry7K
R+0.7
2,1762,2054,4290.5%
18 countiesTotal votes: 868,482
Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC's political evolution with the Historian
Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
  • Has voted Democratic in the last 5 presidential elections
  • Split-ticket voting in 2024: Different parties won President and Governor
  • Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2024, Republicans in 2004
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NCCensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
Expand rows for ancestry detail
White (Non-Hispanic) 52.6%Black 29.6%Hispanic 8.0%Multiracial 5.3%Asian 4.1%Native American 0.3%
GroupLocalNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
52.6%57.4%
▶Black / African American(15)
29.6%12.2%
▶Hispanic / Latino(19)
8.0%19.3%
Multiracial / Other
5.3%4.0%
▶Asian(6)
4.1%6.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10)
0.5%0.9%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
0.3%0.9%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(4)
0.1%0.2%
Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:
43.3%(773.2K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -34.0pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.

Tradition% Pop% AdherentsUS PopUS Adherents
Evangelical Protestant
21.1%48.7%——
Catholic
8.3%19.2%——
Mainline Protestant
6.8%15.7%——
Black Protestant
3.6%8.3%——
Other
3.2%7.5%——
LDS (Mormon)
0.7%1.6%——
Orthodox Christian
0.3%0.7%——
Non-religiousPopulation
56.7%———
Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Who lives in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area? 1,787,235 residents across 18 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC vs National1.8M residents
Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population
Local vs state vs U.S.
1.8M
local
1.8MNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.53%
local
0.53%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
75.0%
local
75.0%National 75.7%
Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income
Local vs state vs U.S.
$84,417
local
$84,417National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
10.9%
local
10.9%National 12.5%
College degree
Local vs state vs U.S.
35.8%
local
35.8%National 35.6%
Homeownership
Local vs state vs U.S.
63.4%
local
63.4%National 65.2%
Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age
Local vs state vs U.S.
37.7 yrs
local
37.7 yrsNational 39.1 yrs
Age 18–29
Local vs state vs U.S.
17.0%
local
17.0%National 15.7%
Age 65+
Local vs state vs U.S.
16.2%
local
16.2%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
6.9%
local
6.9%National 14.1%
Non-English at home
Local vs state vs U.S.
9.5%
local
9.5%National 22.2%
English only
Local vs state vs U.S.
90.5%
local
90.5%National 77.8%
Voter Turnout

Turnout in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
2024 Turnout
64.8%
vs Previous
-0.3pp
Voting-Age Pop
1,340,451
History
1988–2024
Competitiveness

How competitive is Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC?

Likely DAvg margin: D+10.4 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+11.0
2012
D+10.9
2016
D+7.7
2020
D+13.4
2024
D+10.2
Elasticity
5.7pp
margin range
Party Flips
2
last 30 years
5-Elec Avg
D+10.6
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (0/100)
2024 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
Senate vs GovernorD+14.8R+37.151.9pp
President vs GovernorD+10.2R+37.147.3pp
President vs SenateD+10.2D+14.84.6pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 24.5pp
Containing Geography

Located In

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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