Hampton, VA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Virginia·Hampton

Hampton city · Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News · population 137,596

First-time buyers
Hampton, VA
Image: Wikipedia · Hampton, Virginia
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
66
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Hampton stands

At or near all-time high. rents up 5.5% in the last year.

Median home $278,048
1-year +0.0%
5-yr CAGR +5.8%
vs 5-yr peak -0.6%
Population +0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-02$278k$148k$196k$243k$291k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,631/mo$1,145$1,437$1,729202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent132134100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.2
Buy

At a 14.2 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Hampton on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.2 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
50 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
69 · w22%
Distance from peak
86 · w18%
Population growth
47 · w16%
Rent YoY
82 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
66 · w10%
Long thesis

Hampton has held up across the cycle: home values at $278,048 with +5.8% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Hampton's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Hampton

Hampton is a city in Hampton city, Virginia, with an estimated population of 137,596. It anchors the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metro area. The median home value in Hampton is $278,048 as of 2026-04, up 0.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.8% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Hampton average $1,631 per month, up 5.5% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 66 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.8% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -0.6% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 5.5% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Hampton (Wikipedia)

Hampton is an independent city in Virginia, United States. The population was 137,148 at the 2020 census, making it the seventh-most populous city in Virginia. Hampton is included in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the 37th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorJimmy Gray
Area136.27 sq mi
Elevation10 ft
Settled1610
MottoFrom the Sea to the Stars
Density2665.14/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Hampton city right now.

NWS active alerts (VA)Virginia Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Hampton city routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Hampton

10 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Foxhill$330,174+1.7%
2Magruder Area$324,309+0.4%
3Northampton$306,172+0.7%
4North King St$285,307+0.4%
5Mercury Central$269,795+2.4%
6Phoebus$262,302+0.7%
7Aberdeen$258,962-1.9%
8Buckroe$258,255-0.9%
9Greater Wythe$244,238-3.7%
10Downtown$240,379-1.1%

Cities like Hampton

Portsmouth, VA64 · RisingLynchburg, VA66 · RisingNewport News, VA68 · RisingNorfolk, VA63 · Rising

Run the numbers for Hampton

ToolCan I afford Hampton?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Hampton rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Hampton to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolHampton cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
47° / 27°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
87° / 65°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
205
~56% of year
Annual precip
44″ rain
14″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Low
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Hampton listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$87,200
Virginia state median
Top industries (state-level)
Government/DefenseTech (NoVa)Shipbuilding

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Hampton

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all Virginia cities →    Browse best-of lists →