Smithfield, Virginia

Smithfield, Virginia
Main Street, Smithfield
Nickname: 
The Ham Capital of the World
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates: 36°58′44″N 76°37′7″W / 36.97889°N 76.61861°W / 36.97889; -76.61861
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyIsle of Wight
Incorporated (town)1752
Government
  MayorSteven G. Bowman
Area
  Total
10.65 sq mi (27.58 km2)
  Land9.72 sq mi (25.19 km2)
  Water0.92 sq mi (2.39 km2)
Elevation
30 ft (9 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
8,533
  Estimate 
(2022)
8,867
  Density871.47/sq mi (336.47/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
23430-23431
Area code(s)757, 948
FIPS code51-73200
GNIS feature ID1474779
Websitewww.smithfieldva.gov

Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, United States. The population was 8,533 at the 2020 census.

The town is most famous for the curing and production of the Smithfield ham. The Virginia General Assembly passed a statute defining "Smithfield ham" by law in 1926, with one of the requirements that it be processed within the town limits. Smithfield Foods, a Chinese Fortune 500 company that owns Smithfield Packing Company and others, is the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. The company, based in Smithfield, raises 12 million hogs and processes 20 million pounds of them annually.