County outline
Where Poquoson city is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 19.6% of Poquoson city’s measured area and water for 80.4%. Its combined area converts to 203.2 square kilometers or approximately 50,213 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 15.357 | 39.774 | 9,828.5 |
| Water | 63.101 | 163.431 | 40,384.6 |
| Total | 78.458 | 203.205 | 50,213.1 |
How Poquoson city compares
By original Census land area, Poquoson city ranks #110 of 133 in Virginia and #3192 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.05 times the Virginia county-equivalent median of 310 square miles. It accounts for 0% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Virginia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Poquoson city
The Census Bureau estimates that 13,292 people lived in Poquoson city on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,276 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #105 of 133 in Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 12,455, the population has grown by 837 (+6.7%), compared with +2.9% for Virginia as a whole.
With 15.4 square miles of land, that is 866 people per square mile (334 per km²), placing Poquoson city #212 nationally for density and #39 in Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Virginia median is 109. Put another way, there are about 0.739 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 12,472 | 12,628 | 12,617 | 12,602 | 12,863 | 13,292 |
| Change | — | +156 | −11 | −15 | +261 | +429 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Poquoson city
Every resident of Poquoson city lives within Poquoson city. The city and the county equivalent cover the same territory, 15.4 square miles of land in the 2026 place Gazetteer, so there are no separate towns or unincorporated areas to list.
Metropolitan area
Poquoson city is a central county of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 18 county equivalents have 1,797,213 residents on 3,201.9 square miles of land; Poquoson city accounts for 0.5% of the land and 0.7% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #96 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #38 by population. It belongs to the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach city | 453,737 | 244.7 |
| Chesapeake city | 255,332 | 338.5 |
| Norfolk city | 231,013 | 53.3 |
| Newport News city | 183,230 | 69 |
| Hampton city | 137,315 | 51.5 |
| Suffolk city | 104,699 | 399.2 |
| Portsmouth city | 96,777 | 33.3 |
| James City County | 83,326 | 142.3 |
| York County | 71,374 | 104.7 |
| Isle of Wight County | 41,321 | 315.7 |
| Gloucester County | 40,097 | 217.8 |
| Currituck CountyNorth Carolina | 33,158 | 261.9 |
| Williamsburg city | 15,861 | 8.9 |
| Poquoson city | 13,292 | 15.4 |
| Camden CountyNorth Carolina | 11,315 | 240.3 |
| Gates CountyNorth Carolina | 10,234 | 340.6 |
| Mathews County | 8,529 | 85.9 |
| Surry County | 6,603 | 278.9 |
ZIP codes
1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area has land in Poquoson city, and it lies mostly inside the county.
23662
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Poquoson city
Poquoson city shares a land border with 2 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Poquoson city. The largest neighbor is York County (104.7 mi²) and the smallest is Hampton city (51.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Poquoson city forms a block of 171.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Poquoson city | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| York County | 104.7 | 6.8× larger | Compare |
| Hampton city | 51.5 | 3.4× larger | Compare |
How big is Poquoson city compared with U.S. states?
Poquoson city has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 67 times as much. Virginia’s county land could hold about 2,571 areas the size of Poquoson city.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 3.92 miles (6.3 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Poquoson city?
Poquoson city has more land than 30 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Poquoson city at #3,121 nationally by total area, 71 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 80.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 79.3 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Poquoson city in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3191 | Harrisonburg city, Virginia | 17.3 | Compare |
| #3192 | Poquoson city, Virginia | 15.4 | This county |
| #3193 | Florida Municipio, Puerto Rico | 15.2 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 37.128360, -76.303534. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 39,773,691 m²; AWATER: 163,429,842 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Poquoson city?
Poquoson city, Virginia has 15.4 square miles (39.8 km²) of land and 63.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 78.5 square miles. It ranks #3192 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Poquoson city the largest county in Virginia?
No. Poquoson city ranks #110 of 133 in Virginia by land area. The largest is Pittsylvania County, with 969 square miles of land.
What counties border Poquoson city?
Poquoson city shares a land border with Hampton city and York County.
What is the population of Poquoson city?
The Census Bureau estimates Poquoson city had 13,292 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,276 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 866 people per square mile of land.
Is Poquoson city part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 18 county equivalents and 1,797,213 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Poquoson city?
1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area has land in Poquoson city, and 1 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Poquoson city compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 67.3 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Poquoson city?
The land measurement converts to approximately 9,828 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 50,213 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.