Cape Charles is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 1,265 people and two associated neighborhoods, Cape Charles is the 271st largest community in Virginia. Cape Charles has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Cape Charles, where the median household income is $51,250.00.

Cape Charles home prices are not only among the most expensive in Virginia, but Cape Charles real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Cape Charles has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Cape Charles telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 17.81% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Cape Charles is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Cape Charles’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

Cape Charles 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.

One of the benefits of Cape Charles is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 19.05 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

As is often the case in a small town, Cape Charles doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

If knowledge is power, Cape Charles is a pretty powerful place. 57.86% of the adults in Cape Charles have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Cape Charles in 2022 was $62,314, which is wealthy relative to Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $249,256 for a family of four. However, Cape Charles contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Cape Charles is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Cape Charles home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Cape Charles residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Cape Charles also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 10.95% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Cape Charles include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Scots-Irish.

The most common language spoken in Cape Charles is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and German/Yiddish.