El Paso, TX vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $24,259, a 75% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
El Paso, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Virginia Beach, VA carries $297 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in El Paso, TX and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 42.9% more per capita than El Paso ($18,256/person difference). El Paso, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $65 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $12 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $690 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $31 | $1,462 |
| Other | $550 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,159 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $233 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $83 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $299 | $2,071 |
| Health | $0 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $11 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $151 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $958 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $6 | $140 |
| Utilities | $224 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $40 | $0 |
| General Admin | $17,951 | $0 |
| Other | $3,145 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.