How America Moves

Gloucester County, VA

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
98
2% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$289,200
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+46.2%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,144
national $1,348
Homeownership
80%
national 65%
Unemployment
2.5%
national 3.6%
Household income
$83,689
national $78,538
Median age
44.6 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.

The cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. The median home is valued at $289,200 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 46% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,144 a month. Unemployment averaged 2.5% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $83,689. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Gloucester County, VA saw a net gain of 77 tax-filing households and a net gain of 225 individuals. Against a population of about 40,057, that is a net inflow of about 5.6 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $18.3M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 144 households, came from Newport News City; the largest outflow, about 132 households, went to Newport News City. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 588 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$18.3M
nominal dollars
Net households
+77
tax returns
Net people
+225
exemptions

+5.6 net people per 1,000 residents (population 40,057)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$89.2M
Moved out$71M
Net +$18.3M (nominal)
HowAmericaMoves.com

Gloucester County within Virginia

Gloucester County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Virginia counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
Loading map…

Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Newport News City, VA144132+12+$482K
York County, VA10092+8+$1.8M
James City County, VA7541+34+$3M
Mathews County, VA4557-12-$654K
Hampton City, VA6337+26+$1.3M
Middlesex County, VA4850-2+$535K
Virginia Beach City, VA2924+5+$707K
Norfolk City, VA23
Chesterfield County, VA21
Williamsburg City, VA21
Poquoson City, VA20

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$114M (+3,114 people)
20122023
HowAmericaMoves.com
Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$491K+35
2013-$56K+181
2014+$4M+250
2015+$1.4M-35
2016+$11.3M+235
2017+$18.6M+495
2018+$12.8M+306
2019-$1.3M+23
2020+$16.8M+382
2021+$8.2M+429
2022+$24.5M+588
2023+$18.3M+225
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 225 more people moved into Gloucester County, VA than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $18.3M in income (nominal) — in a county of 40,016 people.

Population
40,016
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+5.6
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +56 people.
Net income per resident
+$457
nominal dollars
+$18.3M total across 40,016 residents.

The rate lets you compare Gloucester County, VA with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+338
Deaths
-468
Net domestic migration
+589
Net international migration
-4
Total change
+462

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Gloucester County, VA run about 2% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $102 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$61,412
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
12% below the U.S. average
Price level
97.7
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 2.3% lower than average
What that income buys
$62,844
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
10% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

HowAmericaMoves.com

Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents97.7
Goods97.1
Utilities88.4
Other services98.8

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Who lives here

The people of Gloucester County, VA

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
44.6
years
Median household income
$83,689
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
7% above the U.S. median
College degree
26%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
6.8%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
35 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
89%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 83%Hispanic 4%Black 8%Asian 1%Other 4%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$289,200
owner-occupied homes
5% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,144
gross rent per month
15% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
80%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+11.2%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+46%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
85new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 86%Multifamily 14%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
2.5%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
20,662
20,149 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Unemployment now
3.0%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.4 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com

How Gloucester County, VA has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20247,03415,918197R +38.423,149
20206,96414,875445R +35.522,284
20165,40413,0961,119R +39.219,619
20126,76412,137382R +27.919,283
20086,91612,089217R +26.919,222
20045,10511,084144R +36.616,333
20004,5538,718428R +30.413,699

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

Get the next update for Gloucester County, VA

The IRS releases new migration data once a year. Drop your email and we will send the refreshed numbers when they land. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.