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Southampton County, VA

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
101
1% above the U.S. average
Median home value
$208,800
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+41.8%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$930
national $1,348
Homeownership
75%
national 65%
Unemployment
2.7%
national 3.6%
Household income
$68,465
national $78,538
Median age
46.9 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the statewide price level for Virginia (state avg).

The cost of living runs about 1% above the national average. The median home is valued at $208,800 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 42% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $930 a month. Unemployment averaged 2.7% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $68,465. 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, Southampton County, VA saw a net gain of 55 tax-filing households and a net gain of 146 individuals. Against a population of about 17,975, that is a net inflow of about 8.1 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $5.9M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 90 households, came from Franklin City; the largest outflow, about 76 households, went to Franklin City. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 141 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$5.9M
nominal dollars
Net households
+55
tax returns
Net people
+146
exemptions

+8.1 net people per 1,000 residents (population 17,975)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$23.9M
Moved out$18M
Net +$5.9M (nominal)
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Southampton County within Virginia

Southampton 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.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Franklin City, VA90$3.1M
  2. 2Suffolk City, VA56$2.3M
  3. 3Isle of Wight County, VA36$2.1M
  4. 4Chesapeake City, VA26$1.8M
  5. 5Portsmouth City, VA20$1.3M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Franklin City, VA76$2.6M
  2. 2Suffolk City, VA36$1.9M
  3. 3Isle of Wight County, VA31$1.8M
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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.

Franklin City, VA9076+14+$510K
Suffolk City, VA5636+20+$416K
Isle of Wight County, VA3631+5+$302K
Chesapeake City, VA26
Portsmouth 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.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$21.7M (+1,009 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$3.6M+119
2013+$369K-62
2014+$1.1M+45
2015-$518K-65
2016-$38K+67
2017+$3.1M+115
2018+$550K+80
2019-$1.8M-5
2020+$3.4M+255
2021+$3.4M+173
2022+$2.6M+141
2023+$5.9M+146
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 146 more people moved into Southampton County, VA than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $5.9M in income (nominal) — in a county of 18,050 people.

Population
18,050
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+8.1
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +81 people.
Net income per resident
+$326
nominal dollars
+$5.9M total across 18,050 residents.

The rate lets you compare Southampton 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.

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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
+119
Deaths
-204
Net domestic migration
+221
Net international migration
+18
Total change
+154

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

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Who lives here

The people of Southampton County, VA

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

Median age
46.9
years
Median household income
$68,465
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
13% below the U.S. median
College degree
19%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
8.7%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
34 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
83%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 60%Hispanic 2%Black 30%Asian 1%Other 7%

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.

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

Median home value
$208,800
owner-occupied homes
31% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$930
gross rent per month
31% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
75%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+10.4%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+42%
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
59new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

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.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
2.7%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
8,304
8,082 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.

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Unemployment now
3.4%
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.

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

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20243,6266,13372R +25.59,831
20203,9695,73087R +18.09,786
20163,5955,035248R +16.28,878
20124,4374,73394R +3.29,264
20084,4024,58382R +2.09,067
20043,4314,01843R +7.87,492
20003,3593,29362D +1.06,714

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

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