Metro Life Score
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 67th percentile of the national corpus.
- 53.9
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #128
- of 387 metros
- 67%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk is above-median composite Life Score — #128 of 387 (53.9/100, grade B, 67th percentile). Carried by safety at 87/100; held back most by schools at 26/100.
- 67th
- composite percentile
- #128
- of 387 peers
- 29th
- cost dimension percentile
- 72nd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · SAFE-LED · signature wages
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk: pay power is the signature
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk stamps UPPER · SAFE-LED with wages at the 72nd percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 29th) and composite #128. Safety (87/100) amplifies the lead; Schools (26/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC ranks #128 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #273 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 97.9 (rent-RPP 99.8). BLS median salary $69,292, 741,260 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,287/mo (studio $1,121).
FBI UCR (VA): 223 violent, 1590 property/100K. NCES: 13.7:1 ratio, 0.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,445/yr. EPA: 35 Superfund sites (VA).
Where Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
54 67th percentile higher than 67% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. 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 PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 53.9 is built
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are VA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk With...
Ranking Context
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk outranks 67% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #125 | Evansville, IN | 54.0 | B |
| #126 | Auburn-Opelika, AL | 54.0 | B |
| #127 | Birmingham, AL | 54.1 | B |
| #128 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 53.9 | B |
| #129 | Terre Haute, IN | 53.9 | B |
| #130 | Wichita Falls, TX | 53.8 | B |
| #131 | Huntsville, AL | 53.7 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC is top 33% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 30% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
VA Metro Scores
Read with Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk (UPPER · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Terre Haute, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 53.9 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Auburn-Opelika, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 54.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Evansville, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 54.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Wichita Falls, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 53.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Richmond, VA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 30/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 29/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk's top-third Life Score
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk scores 53.9/100 overall, but Safety (87.0) and Schools (26.2) sit 60.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Blacksburg is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Blacksburg
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.