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

Chesapeake, VA vs Portsmouth, VA

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

Summary

Portsmouth spends 1.8% more per capita than Chesapeake ($845/person difference). Portsmouth, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

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
Portsmouth, VA
Pop. 97,384
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chesapeake
Portsmouth
Total Spending
$11.4B
$4.5B
Spending / Capita
$45,860
$46,704
Total Revenue
$24.3M
$6.4B
Revenue / Capita
$98
$66,060
Total Debt
$170.5M
$0
Debt / Capita
$684
$0
Population
249,377
97,384
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Chesapeake$2,306
Portsmouth$1,848
Fire Protection
Chesapeake$755
Portsmouth$450
Highways & Roads
Chesapeake$413
Portsmouth$954
Parks & Recreation
Chesapeake$559
Portsmouth$1,573
Education
Chesapeake$25,005
Portsmouth$20,569
Health
Chesapeake$481
Portsmouth$270

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChesapeakePortsmouth
Property Tax
$12
$0
Sales Tax
$39
$291
Income Tax
$0
$2,119
Intergovernmental
$5
$12
Charges & Fees
$1,780
$2,606
Other
$3,671
$2,972

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChesapeakePortsmouth
Police
$2,306
$1,848
Fire Protection
$755
$450
Highways & Roads
$413
$954
Education
$25,005
$20,569
Public Welfare
$2,106
$1,406
Health
$481
$270
Hospitals
$1,086
$3,784
Parks & Recreation
$559
$1,573
Housing
$3,550
$3,282
Sewerage
$331
$298
Utilities
$3,148
$4,446
Interest on Debt
$0
$63
Other
$6,120
$7,760
D
Chesapeake, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Portsmouth, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health

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