Hampton Roads is the 31st largest Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the United States

The MSA has more than 60,000 bilingual/multi-lingual residents

City of Chesapeake Hampton Roads MSA Commonwealth
of Virginia		 National
Totals
2006 Population Estimates 218,438 1,665,652 7,599,244 298,021,266
2000 Population 199,184 1,551,351 7,078,515 281,421,906
% Male Population 48.6 49.2 49.0 49.1
% Female Population 51.4 50.8 51.0 50.9
Median Age 34.7 33.5 35.7 35.3
Average Household Income $58,701 $53,200 $61,618 $56,644
2006 Total Households Estimates 77,242 616,984 2,924,931 112,267,302
Family Households 77.5% 69.9% 68.5% 68.1%
Average Household Size 2.79 2.60 2.54 2.59
Average Family Size 3.17 3.08 3.04 3.14
One Race

% White
% Black or African American
% Asian

66.9
28.5
1.8

62.1
31.2
2.8

72.3
19.6
3.7

77.1
12.9
4.2
% Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.0 3.1 4.7 12.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (Demographic info derived from the 2000 Census unless otherwise noted)



Local Active Military Personnel 155,000
Military Spouses 40,000
College Students 75,000


Top 10% of U.S. metropolitan areas for technology employment

More educated workers and higher annual Research & Development expenditures than Charlotte & Research Triangle areas of North Carolina

One of most highly educated workforces in US

85% of residents over age 25 have graduated high school, and 25 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher

Northernmost Right-to-Work state

Among the lowest workman's compensation insurance rates in the country

Civilian labor force exceeding 110,000 for Chesapeake, and 770,000 for the metro area

Salaries below the U.S. average

Local labor force is augmented annually by 17,000 exiting military personnel, 40,000 military spouses and more than 8,500 graduating college students

Labor costs in Chesapeake are historically competitive nationally, particularly because of Virginia state laws that contain employer costs in the areas of workers' compensation and unemployment insurance.

Actual wage and salary rates are also competitive, which, combined with an affordable cost of living, makes Chesapeake a desirable location for businesses and employees
 

Selected Workers' Compensation
Premium Rate Ranking
(highest to lowest)
1 California 5.23
2 Florida 4.50
6 Texas 3.29
8 New York 3.13
34 North Carolina 2.17
42 South Carolina 1.82
49 Virginia 1.50
Selected State Comparisons
Unemployment Insurance
Tax Rate on Taxable Wages
New York 0.7
California 0.5
Texas 0.4
South Carolina 0.4
North Carolina 0.3
Florida 0.3
Virginia 0.2

Oregon Dept. of Consumer & Business Svcs.
US Dept. of Labor

Average
Salaries
for
Selected
Jobs
HR Manager

 $61,970
Database
Administrator		 $48,140
Electrical
Drafter		 $32,790
Purchasing
Manager		 $56,010
Computer
Programmer		 $45,270
Bookkeeper

 $24,350
Training
Specialist		 $39,910
Computer
Support		 $34,610
Customer
Service Rep.		 $21,970
Employment
Recruiter		 $33,230
Electrical
Engineer		 $58,190
Stock Clerk

 $19,610