The Weldon Cooper Center released its annual population estimates for Virginia localities, and the
release indicates that Hampton Roads total population grew by 13궋 in 2011, a rate of 0.81%. This rate of population growth is higher than the annualized regional population growth rates in both the 90’s (+0.80%) and the 00’s (+0.56%). The region still grows more slowly than the state as a whole however.
Most of the population growth occurred in the larger cities of the region, including Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, but there was also strong growth in Suffolk and James City County. Portsmouth also grew more quickly than the region, which represents a change from a two decade trend of declining population.