Suffolk 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 98,537 people and 36 associated neighborhoods, Suffolk is the 13th largest community in Virginia. Suffolk 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 Suffolk, where the median household income is $87,758.00.

Suffolk is home to a number of people employed in the armed forces. When you visit or walk around Suffolk, some of the people you will bump into will be military people In and out of uniform, jogging, shopping and generally out and about town.

Also of interest is that Suffolk 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 Suffolk telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 7.94% 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.

Suffolk 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 downside of living in Suffolk is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Suffolk, the average commute to work is 30.85 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average.

The overall education level of Suffolk citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 32.08% of adults in Suffolk have at least a bachelor's degree, and the average American community has 21.84%.

The per capita income in Suffolk in 2018 was $44,004, which is upper middle income relative to Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $176,016 for a family of four. However, Suffolk contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

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

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