2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Norfolk, VA vs Durham, NC

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Highlights
- Household income in Durham, is 18% more than it is in Norfolk and is 4% below the National Average.
- Norfolk unemployment rate is 7.3%.
- Durham unemployment rate is 4.1%.
 Norfolk, VADurham, NCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.0%1.6%
 Future Job Growth31.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$32,811  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$66,623$69,021
 Family Median Income$68,617  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Norfolk, VADurham, NCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.9%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.2%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K9.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.5%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.3%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.0%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K13.0%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock15.7%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.3%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock8.8%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Norfolk, VADurham, NCUnited States
 Management, business, finance12.3%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock10.8%6.5%
 Community, social services2.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.3%1.2%
 Education, library6.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.2%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.5%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.8%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance4.3%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.4%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support21.9%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair8.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock7.7%13.1%
Reviews for Norfolk    41 Reviews

I've lived in Norfolk for most of my life, and I love it here. I love the maker scene, and the new breweries. The arts scene, especially the theater side is always  More

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Over 8 years ago

I have lived in Norfolk VA for 11 months and,I cant wait to leave.It is full of crime ,homeless and undeveloped city.Public transportation is terrible and its wet and  More

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Over 8 years ago

I was born in Norfolk, and lived in Norfolk and Virginia Beach until my early 20s. Here are 10 things that are 100% true about Norfolk you may have heard before: 1) It's  More

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Reviews for Durham    43 Reviews

I was raised in this city, left for work in the 2010s, and returned in 2018. This city has changed a lot over the years for the better. Growing up there was not a ton to  More

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Over 5 years ago

I've lived in durham for a few years and my experience is coming from someone who has traveled all over the world and has lived in many different states. First things  More

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Over 5 years ago

I live here for my entire life and it has never gotten boring, I love the scenery, nightlife and basically everything here. There is always something new to do and  More

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