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

All states·Virginia·Portsmouth

Portsmouth city · Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News · population 96,482

First-time buyers
Portsmouth, VA
Image: Wikipedia · Portsmouth, Virginia
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
64
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Portsmouth stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $263,759
1-year +0.1%
5-yr CAGR +5.6%
vs 5-yr peak -0.1%
Population -0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-02$264k$139k$184k$229k$275k201620182020202220242026

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
$1,623/mo$1,092$1,406$1,721202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent131140100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.5
Buy

At a 13.5 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Portsmouth on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.5 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
51 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
68 · w22%
Distance from peak
89 · w18%
Population growth
39 · w16%
Rent YoY
72 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
67 · w10%
Long thesis

Portsmouth has held up across the cycle: home values at $263,759 with +5.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Portsmouth'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 Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a city in Portsmouth city, Virginia, with an estimated population of 96,482. It anchors the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metro area. The median home value in Portsmouth is $263,759 as of 2026-04, up 0.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Portsmouth average $1,623 per month, up 4.1% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 64 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.6% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -0.1% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.4% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Portsmouth (Wikipedia)

Portsmouth is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. It lies across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is the ninth-most populous city in Virginia and is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Due to its strategic location, the city has long been associated with the United States Armed Forces, particularly the Navy. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard is a historic and active Navy facility located in Portsmouth.

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

City facts

MayorShannon Glover
Area46.68 sq mi
Elevation20 ft
Founded1752
Density2940.39/sq mi
Named forPortsmouth, England

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

Things to see in Portsmouth(Tourism)

  • Olde Towne Business and Historic District
  • Downtown Portsmouth Historic District
  • Historic Hotels of America
  • National Trust for Historic Preservation
  • Governor
  • Robert Dinwiddie
  • Colony of Virginia
  • French and Indian War
  • Chance Rides
  • C.P. Huntington
  • Crown Metal Products
  • Carthage, North Carolina

+3 more on Wikipedia.

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

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 Portsmouth city right now.

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

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

Neighborhoods of Portsmouth

28 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Sterling Point$382,437+1.4%
2Hatton Point$366,104+1.1%
3North Siesta Gardens$354,031+1.5%
4Belvedere$347,206+2.8%
5Merrifields$335,966+2.2%
6Edgefield$334,131+2.6%
7Hunters Point$331,328+1.8%
8Cavalier Forest$328,985+1.7%
9Waterview$323,897+2.7%
10Mayflower Park$295,516-0.0%
11Park Manor$293,010-0.0%
12Churchland Southwest$276,677+1.8%
13Lynn Shores$269,698-0.9%
14Port Norfolk$267,831-0.8%
15Ebony Heights$262,632+1.4%
16Oregon Acres$259,787-1.4%
17Shea Terrace$250,305-4.6%
18Cavalier Manor$245,498+0.1%
19Westhaven$239,820+1.4%
20Simonsdale$235,767+2.3%
21Highlands$232,949+0.9%
22Peachtree$228,564+2.2%
23Prentis Park$224,831-3.3%
24Nottingham-Westmoreland$224,667+1.7%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Portsmouth

Hampton, VA66 · RisingLynchburg, VA66 · RisingCharlottesville, VA60 · StableNorfolk, VA63 · Rising

Run the numbers for Portsmouth

ToolCan I afford Portsmouth?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Portsmouth rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Portsmouth to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolPortsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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.

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