HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Each year, demographers at the Weldon Cooper Center develop and release the official population estimates for Virginia.
They break it down by counties and independent cities to illuminate population counts between decennial censuses.
Weldon Cooper Center describes itself as an organization that conducts unbiased, rigorous research in population studies, regional economics, alternative energy, and survey methods to produce sound data.
They explained that population estimates are an important tool used by a variety of state agencies in their planning processes, from developing budgets to determining salaries for public officials.
Let's take a dive into the numbers for our Hampton Roads cities and beyond, over a 26-month period between April 2020 and July 2022.
- The largest population percent increase between 2020 to 2022 was Suffolk. The April 2020 consensus for Suffolk was listed at 94,324. After the 2022 listing, Suffolk had a population of 99,179. That's a 5.1% increase. Per the City of Suffolk website, the estimated city population was at 90,426 in 2015, and the 2010 U.S. census had the population at 84,585.
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- Norfolk saw just a slight dip in population between 2020 and 2022. Going from 238,005 to 237,770 residents - a -0.1% decrease.
- In Virginia Beach, there were 4,085 less residents reported over the two year span. In 2020 there were 459,470. And in 2022, the resort city reported a population of 455,385. That's a -0.9% decrease.
- Only a slight dip was reported in Portsmouth as well. Over a 26-month period, Portsmouth went from 97,915 residents to 96,700. That's a -1.2% decrease.
- There was a 1% increase in Chesapeake's population from April 2020 to July 2022; Going from 249,422 to 251,959.
- In 2020, Newport News had 186,247. Then in 2022, there was a -1.5% decrease, reporting 183,504 residents within the city.
- Hampton reported 761 less residents over the 26-month period. In 2020, there were 137,148 people living in the city and in 2022, there were 136,387. That's a -0.6% decrease.
Other cities that saw an increase within the 757
- Williamsburg - 1.3%
- Poquoson- 1.3%
- Albemarle 2.8%
- Gloucester: .2%
- Isle of Wight: 3.5%
- James City: 1.6%
- York: 2.1%
Other cities that saw an decrease within the 757
- Accomack: -1.5%
- Mathews: -1%
- Northampton: -2%
- Southampton: -.5%
- Surry: -1.1%
- Franklin: -2.4%
You can look at the full list by clicking here.
