Smithfield is a somewhat small coastal town (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 6,133 people and two constituent neighborhoods, Smithfield is the 142nd largest community in Virginia.

Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Smithfield is neither predominently one or the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Smithfield is a town of sales and office workers, professionals, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Smithfield who work in office and administrative support jobs (19.99%), sales jobs (9.21%), and management occupations (8.72%).

The town is also nautical, which means that parts of Smithfield are somewhat historic and bounded by the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Smithfield is a very car-oriented town. 96.53% of residents commute to work in a private automobile rather than by other means, such as public transit, bicycling, or walking. This is because Smithfield is a small town, and most people who live here have to drive out of town for work, and the town population is not large nor dense enough to support an extensive public transportation system. Smithfield has a lot of rural roads, and houses can be far apart. Many residents drive out of town for regular shopping trips as well.

Being a small town, Smithfield does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.

Smithfield Information and Demographics

The citizens of Smithfield are slightly better educated than the national average of 14.96% for all cities and towns, with 19.31% of adults in Smithfield having a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Smithfield in 2000 was $19,301, which is middle income relative to Virginia, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $77,204 for a family of four.

Smithfield is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Smithfield home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Smithfield is White, followed by African-American. Important ancestries of people in Smithfield include English, German, Irish, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Smithfield is English.