Virginia

Distance from Norfolk to Richmond

Straight-line distance

79.7mi

Norfolk, VA and Richmond, VA are 79.7 miles (128.3 km) apart in a straight line. From Norfolk, the shortest path starts out heading WNW (302°).

kilometers
128.3
nautical miles
69.3
heading from Norfolk
302° WNW
heading from Richmond
121° ESE
NorfolkRichmond

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Norfolk is from Richmond

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Norfolk and Richmond is 79.7 miles, 128.3 km or 69.3 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 79.7 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
79.7
Kilometers
128.3
Nautical miles
69.3
Bearing from Norfolk
302.2° WNW
Bearing arriving at Richmond
301.4°
Bearing from Richmond
121.4° ESE

Halfway between Norfolk and Richmond

The great-circle midpoint is at 37.228794, -76.857816 (37°13'43.66"N 76°51'28.14"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Williamsburg, VA, with 16,030 residents, 8.7 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Norfolk gets 14 h 42 min of daylight and Richmond 14 h 46 min; on December 21, 9 h 38 min and 9 h 34 min. Richmond is 0.61° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Richmond has 1.0 times the population of Norfolk. From July 2020 to July 2024, Norfolk changed by -2.8% and Richmond by +3.0%. Both are in Virginia.

  1. 01Norfolk, VA231,105 (-2.8%)
  2. 02Richmond, VA233,655 (+3.0%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Norfolk from Richmond?

79.7 miles, 128.3 km or 69.3 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Richmond from Norfolk?

WNW. The great-circle path leaves Norfolk on a bearing of 302.2° and arrives at Richmond on 301.4°. The return trip starts on 121.4°.

What is halfway between Norfolk and Richmond?

The midpoint is at 37.228794, -76.857816. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Williamsburg, VA, 8.7 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Norfolk and Richmond?

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Norfolk or Richmond?

Richmond, with 233,655 residents in July 2024 against 231,105 for Norfolk, 1.0 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.