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Place dossier plate
SheetVA-SUFFOLK-VA · Suffolk, VA 96,638 pop · income 71st pct · 36 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Suffolk
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Suffolk on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Roanoke · lowest
52,671
Roanoke · lowest
52,671 median HH income
36.7% of the leader · rank #1
Dixonville · near
90,081
Dixonville · near
90,081 median HH income
62.7% of the leader · rank #2
Highlands · near
90,082
Highlands · near
90,082 median HH income
62.7% of the leader · rank #3
Suffolk · this city
90,089
Suffolk · this city
90,089 median HH income
62.7% of the leader · rank #4
Central · near
90,091
Central · near
90,091 median HH income
62.7% of the leader · rank #5
Meiners Oaks · near
90,096
Meiners Oaks · near
90,096 median HH income
62.7% of the leader · rank #6
Centreville · highest
143,704
Centreville · highest
143,704 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Suffolk on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 96,638.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Suffolk - the verdict
Suffolk ranks in the 71st percentile for household income and the 34th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
71st
percentile, household income
69th
percentile, home value
62nd
percentile, median rent
34th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Suffolk, VA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 96,638 residents in Suffolk, a small city within Virginia. Suffolk households earn a median of $90,089 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.7%. Home values in Suffolk run a median of $329,600, and the median resident age is 38.7 years. Educational attainment runs 32.4% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 58.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 680 residential building permits were authorized in Suffolk (Stable), down 2% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1941.9 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, near the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Virginia tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Virginia at 101.1 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,369 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $235 across Virginia, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Commute times here average 27.1 minutes, with 81.4% driving alone and 9.3% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 33.3 out of 100 (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Suffolk's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to housing and income to work and mobility to within-city variation to comparison shortlist to population change to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Suffolk, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Suffolk?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1941.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 15% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
How far does income reach against housing in Suffolk?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 36 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Suffolk?
Within Virginia, the closest population matches are Portsmouth (97,299 residents, $58,972 income); Roanoke (98,677 residents, $52,671 income); Lynchburg (79,255 residents, $59,808 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Sunrise, FL (96,633 residents); Yakima, WA (96,810 residents); Arden-Arcade, CA (96,319 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Suffolk?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 81.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 27.1 minutes.
Public transit
0.2%
Work from home
9.3%
Drive alone
81.4%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 46,854 workers age 16+.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +9,881 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +10.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 680 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+10.4%
2025 estimate
104,699
2020 estimate
94,818
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
The NCES join finds 18 public schools within the city match. 32.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
18
Bachelor's degree+
32.4%
Poverty estimate
7.7%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 7.7% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
101.1 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Virginia average
D
City profile score · Suffolk, VA
48/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income B-
$90,089
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share C+
32.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate D
7.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living F
101.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
371 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Suffolk profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 69/100 (B-) · $90,089
Bachelor's+ share: 62/100 (C+) · 32.4%
Poverty rate: 49/100 (D) · 7.7%
Cost of living: 35/100 (F) · 101.1 index
Violent crime: 24/100 (F) · 371 /100k
Where Suffolk sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Suffolk's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Suffolk highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Suffolk, VA (this city): home $329,600, crime 1,942/100k
Yakima, WA : home $273,400, crime 2,589/100k
Conroe, TX : home $283,100, crime 1,877/100k
Orem, UT : home $439,000, crime 1,534/100k
Fayetteville, AR : home $322,500, crime 2,795/100k
Portsmouth, VA : home $229,400, crime 4,613/100k
Roanoke, VA : home $180,500, crime 4,676/100k
Lynchburg, VA : home $211,800, crime 2,095/100k
How does Suffolk compare to other US cities?
Here's how Suffolk stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income71% higher than other cities
Home value69% pricier than other cities
Median rent62% pricier than other cities
Safety34% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Virginia, Suffolk ranks #66 of 117 Virginia cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Suffolk against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Virginia only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Virginia-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Suffolk near the bottom of Virginia's cities
Among the 619 Virginia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Suffolk ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Suffolk only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#213 of 558
62nd percentile in Virginia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 619
0th percentile in Virginia
Median Home Value
#202 of 567
64th percentile in Virginia
Poverty Rate
#244 of 616
60th percentile in Virginia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#254 of 618
59th percentile in Virginia
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Virginia only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
71st percentile nationally for median household income · 34th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Suffolk's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Suffolk's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Suffolk's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$329,60031st percentilemore affordable than 31% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Suffolk's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,570 of 15,516
More affordable than 38% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#256 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 3.7×, Suffolk sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,570 of 15,516 and #256 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$90,089Suffolk, VA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Suffolk, VA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Suffolk, VA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)32.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
96,638
Median Income
$90,089
Median Home Value
$329,600
Median Age
38.7
Poverty Rate
7.7%
Labor force participation
58.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
32.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1941.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
371.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1570.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
18
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Suffolk's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
94,818 residents
2021
96,426 residents
2022
98,626 residents
2023
100,927 residents
2024
103,007 residents
2025
104,699 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
680
housing units authorized
Single-Family
680
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
695
500
195
$104.0M
2020
1,108
715
393
$215.7M
2021
1,363
828
535
$228.6M
2022
669
607
62
$160.1M
2023
727
607
120
$184.0M
2024
680
680
0
$195.3M
Permit volume decreased 2% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
27.1 minutes
Drive Alone
81.4%
Carpool
6.5%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
1.2%
Work from Home
9.3%
Other
1.4%
Based on 46,854 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Virginia statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $235
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Virginia at $235 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Virginia statewide averages, not a meter reading for Suffolk. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Virginia's BEA cost-of-living index is 101.1 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Suffolk is $1,369/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Virginia statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 33.3 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Virginia statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Suffolk sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Suffolk compares to similar-size Virginia cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.