Portsmouth County Demographics

A map of Portsmouth County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Black	48,784	51,586	50.2%	52.7%
White	34,405	34,912	35.4%	35.7%
Multiracial	6,324	4,781	6.5%	4.9%
Hispanic	5,225	4,413	5.4%	4.5%
Asian	1,552	1,244	1.6%	1.3%
Native American/Other	900	979	0.9%	1.0%

Portsmouth County, Virginia has an estimated population of 97,190, a less than 1% change from the 97,915 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 50.2% Black, 35.4% White, 6.5% Multiracial, 5.4% Hispanic, 1.6% Asian, and 0.9% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Portsmouth County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Portsmouth has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is slightly more diverse than Virginia overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Portsmouth County, that probability was 59.1% in 2020 and 61.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Portsmouth County is ranked the 21st most populous county in Virginia, out of 133 counties. Portsmouth County was ranked the 20th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Portsmouth County's White Population

34,405 residents of Portsmouth County, or 35.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Portsmouth County is significantly lower than in Virginia overall, where 58.4% of the population is White. Portsmouth County ranks 129th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Portsmouth County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.5%. White residents' share of Portsmouth County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 35.4%.

Portsmouth County is more White than neighboring Hampton County (35.2% White). Portsmouth County is less White than neighboring Norfolk County (41.2% White), Chesapeake County (53.8% White), Newport News County (39.2% White), and Poquoson County (87.3% White).

Portsmouth County's Black Population

48,784 residents of Portsmouth County, or 50.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Portsmouth County is significantly higher than in Virginia overall, where 18.3% of the population is Black. Portsmouth County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Portsmouth County's Black population has declined by an estimated 5.4%. Black residents' share of Portsmouth County's population has decreased from 52.7% to 50.2%.

Portsmouth County is more Black than neighboring Norfolk County (38.9% Black), Chesapeake County (28.5% Black), Hampton County (48.1% Black), Newport News County (40.6% Black), and Poquoson County (1.9% Black).

Portsmouth County's Asian Population

1,552 residents of Portsmouth County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Portsmouth County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 6.9% of the population is Asian. Portsmouth County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Portsmouth County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 24.8%. Asian residents' share of Portsmouth County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.6%.

Portsmouth County is less Asian than neighboring Norfolk County (3.6% Asian), Chesapeake County (3.8% Asian), Hampton County (2.2% Asian), Newport News County (3.3% Asian), and Poquoson County (1.7% Asian).

Portsmouth County's Hispanic Population

5,225 residents of Portsmouth County, or 5.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Portsmouth County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 11% of the population is Hispanic. Portsmouth County ranks 62nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Portsmouth County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 18.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Portsmouth County's population has increased from 4.5% to 5.4%.

Portsmouth County is more Hispanic than neighboring Poquoson County (4.2% Hispanic). Portsmouth County is less Hispanic than neighboring Norfolk County (10.1% Hispanic), Chesapeake County (7.7% Hispanic), Hampton County (6.9% Hispanic), and Newport News County (10.8% Hispanic).

Portsmouth County's Native American/Other Population

900 residents of Portsmouth County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Portsmouth County is comparable to the share in Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Portsmouth County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Portsmouth County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 8.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Portsmouth County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Portsmouth County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Poquoson County (0.7% Native American/Other). Portsmouth County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Hampton County (1.2% Native American/Other), and Newport News County (1.1% Native American/Other).

Portsmouth County's Multiracial Population

6,324 residents of Portsmouth County, or 6.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Portsmouth County is comparable to the share in Virginia overall, where 4.7% of the population is Multiracial. Portsmouth County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Portsmouth County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 32.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Portsmouth County's population has increased from 4.9% to 6.5%.

Portsmouth County is more Multiracial than neighboring Norfolk County (5.3% Multiracial), Chesapeake County (5.4% Multiracial), Hampton County (6.3% Multiracial), Newport News County (5% Multiracial), and Poquoson County (4.2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.