Map the Block › Places › Virginia › Portsmouth
What are the crime rate and median income in Portsmouth, VA?
FBI figures for 2025 show 7.6 violent crimes per 1,000 people in Portsmouth, about 3.7 times the rate across Virginia (2.1). Median household income is $60,491 and the median home value is $246,900. About 97,190 people live in Portsmouth.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income by neighborhood · home values · schools
What is the crime rate in Portsmouth?
In 2025 the Portsmouth Police Department reported 736 violent crimes to the FBI, which works out to 7.6 per 1,000 people. For comparison, that is about 3.7 times the Virginia rate (2.1) and about 2.3 times the national rate (3.3). Its murder count for the year was 19. There were also 3,110 property crimes, a rate of 32.3 per 1,000. Car thefts stand out: 4.2 per 1,000, about 2.1 times the national rate. The yearly count has been fairly flat since 2021 (729 then).
| Offense (2025) | Portsmouth count | Per 1,000 | Virginia per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 736 | 7.6 | 2.1 | 3.3 |
| Murder | 19 | 0.20 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| Rape | 30 | 0.31 | 0.24 | 0.36 |
| Robbery | 120 | 1.2 | 0.30 | 0.49 |
| Aggravated assault | 567 | 5.9 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Property crime | 3,110 | 32.3 | 13.5 | 15.3 |
| Burglary | 307 | 3.2 | 0.87 | 1.9 |
| Larceny-theft | 2,397 | 24.9 | 11.5 | 11.4 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 406 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
How has crime in Portsmouth changed since 2021?
| Year | Violent crimes | Property crimes | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 729 | 3,645 | 36 |
| 2022 | 858 | 4,794 | 47 |
| 2023 | 805 | 4,537 | 38 |
| 2024 | 731 | 3,778 | 36 |
| 2025 | 736 | 3,110 | 19 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. City figures are the Portsmouth Police Department's own reports.
How does Portsmouth compare with Virginia?
Portsmouth's median household earns $60,491 a year, 35% lower than the state figure ($93,170). The median owner-occupied home is worth $246,900 by owners' estimates, and half of renters pay more than $1,300 a month. About 97,190 people live on 33 square miles of land, roughly 2,919 per square mile. The city lies in Portsmouth city and Chesapeake city.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Portsmouth | Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 97,190 | 8,705,170 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $60,491 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $246,900 | $383,700 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,300 | $1,579 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 6.6% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 17.3% | 9.9% | 12.5% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 24.3% | 42.2% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 57.9% | 67.3% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 35.9 | 39.0 | 38.9 |
What environmental sites and hazards are in Portsmouth?
3 Superfund sites are on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Portsmouth: Abex Corp., Atlantic Wood Industries, Inc. and Peck Iron And Metal. A listing means EPA is managing a long-term cleanup; it does not by itself mean anyone is exposed today.
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Portsmouth city has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Is there road construction in Portsmouth?
No highway work zones were listed in Portsmouth city limits in the October 11, 2026 state feed. Some states publish only part of their road work in open feeds, so check the state's 511 site before you travel. The map's layer refreshes every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in or near Portsmouth?
Federal school lists place 23 public and 9 private schools within Portsmouth. 3 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes are in the city. Within about 15 miles: National Park Service sites here: Fort Monroe National Monument.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Portsmouth
Gun shops
2 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map inside the Portsmouth city limits, plus 1 more licensed dealer without a public storefront (not shown). One of them is a pawnshop licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Cash Money INC (Portsmouth) and Shelton Tactical Solutions (Portsmouth).
Liquor stores
3 liquor stores are on the map inside the Portsmouth city limits: Virginia ABC (2 locations) and Virginia ABC (Portsmouth). Virginia has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center inside the Portsmouth city limits on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Portsmouth?
In 2025, Portsmouth had 7.6 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (736 reported), about 3.7 times the Virginia rate (2.1). The property-crime rate was 32.3 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Portsmouth?
$60,491 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024), compared with $93,170 for Virginia.
How much do homes cost in Portsmouth?
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $246,900 (Census ACS 2020-2024), against $383,700 statewide.
What natural hazards affect Portsmouth?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Portsmouth city has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”.
Nearby cities
Norfolk, VA (8 mi) · Chesapeake, VA (13 mi) · Hampton, VA (13 mi) · Newport News, VA (18 mi) · Virginia Beach, VA (19 mi) · Suffolk, VA (19 mi)
More: Virginia statewide numbers · county pages: Portsmouth city and Chesapeake city · Sex-offender registry search (NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, agency counts 2021-2025 (Return A); state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables, for the Census place Portsmouth city.
- Land area: Census 2024 Gazetteer. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores (county level).
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026).
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026).
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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