Population
Raleigh
470,763
Virginia Beach
457,066
Median Income
Raleigh
$82,424
Virginia Beach
$90,685
Home Value
Raleigh
$377,800
Virginia Beach
$366,300
Rent
Raleigh
$1,468
Virginia Beach
$1,649
Crime Rate
Raleigh
4.89
Virginia Beach
0.93
Cost of Living
Raleigh
137.5
Virginia Beach
142.5
Avg Temp
Raleigh
N/A
Virginia Beach
60°F
Unemployment
Raleigh
4.5%
Virginia Beach
4.3%
How Similar Are Raleigh & Virginia Beach?
Virginia Beach is Raleigh's #11 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Raleigh
470,763
Virginia Beach
457,066
Both cities have similar populations — Raleigh at 470,763 and Virginia Beach at 457,066.
Violent Crime
Raleigh
4.89
Virginia Beach
0.93
Raleigh's violent crime is significantly higher than Virginia Beach's — 81% difference.
Property Crime
Raleigh
28.19
Virginia Beach
16.40
Raleigh has a 42% higher property crime than Virginia Beach.
Political Leaning
Raleigh
36.4%
Virginia Beach
48.0%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Virginia Beach has a stronger Democratic lean (24% difference).
Unemployment
Raleigh
4.5%
Virginia Beach
4.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
Raleigh
$82,424
Virginia Beach
$90,685
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Raleigh
$377,800
Virginia Beach
$366,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 3% difference.
Education
Raleigh
36.1%
Virginia Beach
28.1%
Raleigh has a 22% higher education than Virginia Beach.
Demographics
Raleigh
53.8%
Virginia Beach
61.6%
Virginia Beach has a 13% higher demographics than Raleigh.
Cost of Living
Raleigh
137.5
Virginia Beach
142.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Raleigh and Virginia Beach share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Raleigh
0
Virginia Beach
Raleigh leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Raleigh leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDVirginia Beach scores 110.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 126.0 in Raleigh. Virginia Beach has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,512 vs $1,596 in Raleigh (6% lower). Raleigh scores 170.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 179.9 in Virginia Beach.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSVirginia Beach has a vacancy rate of 5.7% compared to 9.8% in Raleigh. Virginia Beach has a owner-occupied of 64.9% compared to 51.2% in Raleigh. Virginia Beach has a single-family homes of 73.1% compared to 58.2% in Raleigh.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Raleigh leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRaleigh has a work from home of 23.4% compared to 12.7% in Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach has a poverty rate of 8.4% compared to 11.4% in Raleigh. Raleigh has a government sector of 43.0% compared to 37.4% in Virginia Beach.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Virginia Beach leads
Source: FBI UCRVirginia Beach has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.39 compared to 3.61 in Raleigh. Virginia Beach has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 0.93 compared to 4.89 in Raleigh. Virginia Beach has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.84 compared to 2.79 in Raleigh.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Raleigh leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauRaleigh has a bachelor's degree or higher of 36.1% compared to 28.1% in Virginia Beach. Raleigh has a high school diploma or higher of 47.0% compared to 42.9% in Virginia Beach.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRaleigh has a population of 470,763, about 1x the size of Virginia Beach (457,066). Raleigh skews younger with a median age of 34.7 vs 37.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Raleigh
Virginia Beach
Healthcare — Raleigh leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareRaleigh: 3 vs Virginia Beach: 2 for with emergency services. Raleigh: 4.7 vs Virginia Beach: 3.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Raleigh leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRaleigh has a work from home of 23.4% compared to 12.7% in Virginia Beach. Raleigh has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.8% in Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach has a drive alone of 75.3% compared to 65.1% in Raleigh.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Raleigh, NC
Compare Raleigh against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.