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

Chicago, IL vs Virginia Beach, VA

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

Summary

Virginia Beach spends 18.7% more per capita than Chicago ($7,964/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
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
Chicago
Virginia Beach
Total Spending
$94.0B
$19.5B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$42,515
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$14.6B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$31,808
Total Debt
$2.7B
$135.8M
Debt / Capita
$977
$297
Population
2,721,914
457,900
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Chicago$0
Virginia Beach$1,126
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Virginia Beach$512
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Virginia Beach$0
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Virginia Beach$1,574
Education
Chicago$0
Virginia Beach$21,342
Health
Chicago$426
Virginia Beach$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoVirginia Beach
Property Tax
$26
$0
Sales Tax
$74
$673
Income Tax
$229
$831
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$31,808
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$1,462
Other
$3,463
$3,301

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoVirginia Beach
Police
$0
$1,126
Fire Protection
$10,754
$512
Highways & Roads
$930
$0
Education
$0
$21,342
Public Welfare
$1,858
$2,071
Health
$426
$426
Hospitals
$1,444
$1,036
Parks & Recreation
$122
$1,574
Housing
$6,520
$2,788
Sewerage
$129
$140
Utilities
$2,983
$3,523
Other
$9,385
$7,978
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

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