Living in Cape Charles, Virginia: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 11.6% below the U.S. average in the parts of Virginia outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 8.7 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood2 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 2.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Northampton High, about 9 miles away.
A hospital close bySentara Careplex Hospital in Hampton, about 25 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityVirginia Beach is about 32 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Cape Charles meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 1 in 3 homes is a vacation or seasonal home, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

Boom town. The population is up 11% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $640,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 27%Northampton County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $73,750U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 66%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,118 a yearVirginia: $2,790
Homes built before 1940: 38%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 13%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 34%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 88.4U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Virginia outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 27% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Virginia outside metro areas, not Cape Charles alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,3142020: 1,180
Median age: 60.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 38%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 8%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 60%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 13%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (20%); finance, insurance and real estate (20%); professional and business services (13%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 18 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 16%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 13%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Sentara Careplex Hospital, Hampton, VA, about 25 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

1 public school in Cape Charles, run by Northampton County Public Schools. The nearest public high school is Northampton High, about 9 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Virginia's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 74%U.S.: 76%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 32°F
July average high: 85°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 14 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 52 a year
Rain and melted snow: 47.8 inches a year
Snow: 3 inches a year
Elevation: 11 feet

Weather stations: Cape Charles 5 ENE (6 miles away) and Langley Afb (22 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Sentara Careplex HospitalEmergency room25

Hampton, VACity of 137,00021

Virginia Beach, VAMetro of 1.8 million32

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Sentara Careplex Hospital, Hampton, Virginia Beach.

Northampton County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 8, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Cape Charles Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Fort Monroe National Monument21 miles
Colonial National Historical Park26 miles
Assateague Island National Seashore53 miles

Read about Cape Charles's history on Wikipedia.

Know Cape Charles?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Poquoson, VA13,300 people, 18 miles
Exmore, VA1,400 people, 22 miles
Bethel Manor, VA4,400 people, 25 miles
Gloucester Point, VA11,100 people, 27 miles
Gloucester Courthouse, VA3,300 people, 30 miles
Onancock, VA1,200 people, 35 miles

Smaller places

Cheriton, VA446 people, 4 miles
Eastville, VA286 people, 8 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.