29-05-2025
Report finds 44% of working Hampton households are struggling to meet basic needs
Nearly half of Hampton households cannot afford basic necessities, and most of them are making too much money to receive benefits, according to a new report from the city's Economic Empowerment and Family Resiliency department.
The study looked at poverty, with 2023 Census data showing 13% of Hampton households fall below the federal poverty line — roughly 2% higher than national average. However, another 31% of the city's households are classified as Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE), meaning they earn above the federal poverty line, but not necessarily enough to afford necessities like health care, food or transportation.
The current federal poverty line for a single person is $15,650 and $32,150 for a family of four. Across Hampton Roads cities, the percentage of households living in poverty ranges from 9% in Virginia Beach to 19% in Portsmouth.
Economic Empowerment and Family Resiliency Director DeAnna Valentine said during Wednesday's presentation to City Council that despite their work to climb out of poverty, the Hampton residents in that limited income population are one mishap away sliding back down, and don't have social safety nets to support them.
'These are people that don't necessarily qualify for state benefits like SNAP or Medicaid, but also don't necessarily make enough money to get out of the situation where they currently are,' Valentine said. 'So any sort of a critical illness, vehicle might need repairs, housing repairs, could very easily slide these individuals and these families backward into poverty.'
The data is a continuation from 2022, which saw roughly 45% of Hampton households at or below ALICE levels, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services.
Poverty is dispersed in different pockets around the city, Valentine said. She noted Black and Hispanic households, each with roughly half of each demographic sitting at or below ALICE levels, are disproportionately faced with poverty.
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Those pockets also span across neighborhoods like downtown and Hampton University, where more than 70% of the population of both areas is considered asset limited, according to the study. In Historic Phoebus, 66% of households are asset limited with and a roughly $30,000 median household income. The neighborhood is sandwiched between three communities where the median household income is more than $90,000.
Poverty bleeds into other aspects of life, including substance use, crime and hunger, according to Valentine. When the majority of your neighbors are experiencing the same hardships , Valentine said it can create an isolating cycle and climbing out of it can seem impossible.
'If the people that you are connected with are also in the same situation that you are in, sometimes it's hard to find that positive person,' Valentine said. 'Sometimes it's hard to have that positive outlook if everyone is in that same boat struggling along.'
Financial resources can be hindered by accessibility issues, city budgetary constraints and systemic issues barriers like evictions, Valentine said. That's why the city is looking at solutions.
While initiatives like community marketplaces and temporary housing have worked for other localities in the past, City Manager Mary Bunting said the climb out of poverty usually happens slowly, and many people become trapped between taking a small pay raise and losing their state or federal benefits.
As a result, Bunting said it's up to the city to take up the mantle to continue supporting its residents and ensure people's effort to work their way to a better livelihood is worth it.
'For many people, there are disincentives built into the system,' Bunting said. 'Especially if you have children or things of that nature, the incremental increase in wages that you get may not be enough to offset what you lose.'
Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037,
