Denver, CO vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA spends 27% more per resident than Denver, CO: $42,515 against $33,582. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Denver, CO edges Virginia Beach, VA on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 51/100 (grade C) to 47/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Denver, CO and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 21.0% more per capita than Denver ($8,933/person difference). Denver, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $2,070 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $1,462 |
| Other | $10,100 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $0 |
| Education | $821 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $2,071 |
| Health | $693 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $140 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.