Colorado Springs, CO vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends Colorado Springs, CO by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $13,222, a 222% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Colorado Springs, CO holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 59/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $3,063 for Colorado Springs, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Colorado Springs, CO and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 68.9% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($29,293/person difference). Colorado Springs, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $257 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,902 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,676 | $1,462 |
| Other | $2,678 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $1,266 | $512 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $575 | $2,071 |
| Health | $0 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $416 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $376 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $2,713 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $140 |
| Utilities | $2,566 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $190 | $0 |
| Other | $5,120 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.