Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Arlington, TX vs Virginia Beach, VA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Virginia Beach spends 72.3% more per capita than Arlington ($30,746/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50
City B
Virginia Beach, VA
Pop. 457,900
D
47/100
Budget Balance28
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Arlington
Virginia Beach
Total Spending
$4.6B
$19.5B
Spending / Capita
$11,769
$42,515
Total Revenue
$23.8B
$14.6B
Revenue / Capita
$60,454
$31,808
Total Debt
$233.8M
$135.8M
Debt / Capita
$594
$297
Population
393,469
457,900
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Arlington$0
Virginia Beach$1,126
Fire Protection
Arlington$160
Virginia Beach$512
Highways & Roads
Arlington$149
Virginia Beach$0
Parks & Recreation
Arlington$1,352
Virginia Beach$1,574
Education
Arlington$0
Virginia Beach$21,342
Health
Arlington$219
Virginia Beach$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonVirginia Beach
Sales Tax
$507
$673
Income Tax
$73
$831
Intergovernmental
$25,062
$31,808
Charges & Fees
$2,949
$1,462
Other
$3,897
$3,301

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonVirginia Beach
Police
$0
$1,126
Fire Protection
$160
$512
Highways & Roads
$149
$0
Education
$0
$21,342
Public Welfare
$826
$2,071
Health
$219
$426
Hospitals
$152
$1,036
Parks & Recreation
$1,352
$1,574
Housing
$2,981
$2,788
Sewerage
$141
$140
Utilities
$1,385
$3,523
Other
$4,404
$7,978
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities