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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Chesapeake, VA vs Arlington, VA

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

Summary

Arlington spends 33.8% more per capita than Chesapeake ($23,373/person difference). Arlington, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chesapeake, VA
Pop. 249,377
D
41/100
Budget Balance30
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, VA
Pop. 235,845
C
58/100
Budget Balance39
Debt Burden90
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chesapeake
Arlington
Total Spending
$11.4B
$16.3B
Spending / Capita
$45,860
$69,233
Total Revenue
$24.3M
$18.1B
Revenue / Capita
$98
$76,540
Total Debt
$170.5M
$117.7M
Debt / Capita
$684
$499
Population
249,377
235,845
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Chesapeake$2,306
Arlington$2,158
Fire Protection
Chesapeake$755
Arlington$694
Highways & Roads
Chesapeake$413
Arlington$780
Parks & Recreation
Chesapeake$559
Arlington$2,793
Education
Chesapeake$25,005
Arlington$28,519
Health
Chesapeake$481
Arlington$851

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChesapeakeArlington
Property Tax
$12
$27
Sales Tax
$39
$554
Income Tax
$0
$466
Intergovernmental
$5
$4,733
Charges & Fees
$1,780
$2,576
Other
$3,671
$5,381

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChesapeakeArlington
Police
$2,306
$2,158
Fire Protection
$755
$694
Highways & Roads
$413
$780
Education
$25,005
$28,519
Public Welfare
$2,106
$3,283
Health
$481
$851
Hospitals
$1,086
$2,783
Parks & Recreation
$559
$2,793
Housing
$3,550
$4,402
Sewerage
$331
$57
Utilities
$3,148
$9,221
Other
$6,120
$13,692
D
Chesapeake, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Arlington, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health

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