Suffolk County Demographics

A map of Suffolk County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	45,224	43,837	45.8%	46.5%
Black	41,068	39,194	41.6%	41.6%
Hispanic	5,172	4,252	5.2%	4.5%
Multiracial	4,566	4,503	4.6%	4.8%
Asian	1,818	1,672	1.8%	1.8%
Native American/Other	948	866	1.0%	0.9%

Suffolk County, Virginia has an estimated population of 98,796, an increase from the 94,324 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 45.8% White, 41.6% Black, 5.2% Hispanic, 4.6% Multiracial, 1.8% Asian, and 1.0% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Suffolk County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Suffolk has become slightly 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 Suffolk County, that probability was 60.7% in 2020 and 61.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Suffolk County is ranked the 19th most populous county in Virginia, out of 133 counties. Suffolk County was ranked the 22nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Suffolk County's White Population

45,224 residents of Suffolk County, or 45.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Suffolk County is considerably lower than in Virginia overall, where 58.4% of the population is White. Suffolk County ranks 115th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Suffolk County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.2%. White residents' share of Suffolk County's population has decreased from 46.5% to 45.8%.

Suffolk County is more White than neighboring Franklin County (37.7% White), and Portsmouth County (35.4% White). Suffolk County is less White than neighboring Isle of Wight County (68.8% White), Gates County (63.2% White), and Chesapeake County (53.8% White).

Suffolk County's Black Population

41,068 residents of Suffolk County, or 41.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Suffolk County is significantly higher than in Virginia overall, where 18.3% of the population is Black. Suffolk County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Suffolk County's Black population has grown by an estimated 4.8%. Black residents' share of Suffolk County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 41.6%.

Suffolk County is more Black than neighboring Isle of Wight County (21.3% Black), Gates County (31% Black), and Chesapeake County (28.5% Black). Suffolk County is less Black than neighboring Franklin County (54.8% Black), and Portsmouth County (50.2% Black).

Suffolk County's Asian Population

1,818 residents of Suffolk County, or 1.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Suffolk County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 6.9% of the population is Asian. Suffolk County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Suffolk County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 8.7%. Asian residents' share of Suffolk County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.8%.

Suffolk County is more Asian than neighboring Isle of Wight County (1.3% Asian), Gates County (0% Asian), Franklin County (0% Asian), and Portsmouth County (1.6% Asian). Suffolk County is less Asian than neighboring Chesapeake County (3.8% Asian).

Suffolk County's Hispanic Population

5,172 residents of Suffolk County, or 5.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Suffolk County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 11% of the population is Hispanic. Suffolk County ranks 61st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Suffolk County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 21.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Suffolk County's population has increased from 4.5% to 5.2%.

Suffolk County is more Hispanic than neighboring Isle of Wight County (4.1% Hispanic), Gates County (2.2% Hispanic), and Franklin County (3.2% Hispanic). Suffolk County is less Hispanic than neighboring Portsmouth County (5.4% Hispanic), and Chesapeake County (7.7% Hispanic).

Suffolk County's Native American/Other Population

948 residents of Suffolk County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Suffolk County is comparable to the share in Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Suffolk County ranks 32nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Suffolk County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 9.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Suffolk County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.0%.

Suffolk County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Isle of Wight County (0.8% Native American/Other), Gates County (0.5% Native American/Other), Franklin County (0% Native American/Other), Portsmouth County (0.9% Native American/Other), and Chesapeake County (0.9% Native American/Other).

Suffolk County's Multiracial Population

4,566 residents of Suffolk County, or 4.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Suffolk County is comparable to the share in Virginia overall, where 4.7% of the population is Multiracial. Suffolk County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Suffolk County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 1.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Suffolk County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.6%.

Suffolk County is more Multiracial than neighboring Isle of Wight County (3.7% Multiracial), Gates County (3.1% Multiracial), and Franklin County (4.2% Multiracial). Suffolk County is less Multiracial than neighboring Portsmouth County (6.5% Multiracial), and Chesapeake County (5.4% 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.