Portsmouth is a larger medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 97,029 people and 31 associated neighborhoods, Portsmouth is the 11th largest community in Virginia.

There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in Portsmouth, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.

Portsmouth is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

The education level of Portsmouth citizens is a little higher than the average for US cities and towns: 21.25% of adults in Portsmouth have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Portsmouth in 2022 was $31,457, which is middle income relative to Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $125,828 for a family of four. However, Portsmouth contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Portsmouth is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Portsmouth home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Portsmouth residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Portsmouth include English, Irish, German, African, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Portsmouth is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Tagalog.