Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Houston, TX vs Virginia Beach, VA

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

Summary

Virginia Beach spends 66.1% more per capita than Houston ($28,115/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
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
Houston
Virginia Beach
Total Spending
$33.1B
$19.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,400
$42,515
Total Revenue
$127.7B
$14.6B
Revenue / Capita
$55,600
$31,808
Total Debt
$2.0B
$135.8M
Debt / Capita
$863
$297
Population
2,296,253
457,900
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Houston$0
Virginia Beach$1,126
Fire Protection
Houston$295
Virginia Beach$512
Highways & Roads
Houston$175
Virginia Beach$0
Parks & Recreation
Houston$361
Virginia Beach$1,574
Education
Houston$0
Virginia Beach$21,342
Health
Houston$210
Virginia Beach$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonVirginia Beach
Sales Tax
$181
$673
Income Tax
$39
$831
Intergovernmental
$33
$31,808
Charges & Fees
$3,475
$1,462
Other
$3,960
$3,301

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HoustonVirginia Beach
Police
$0
$1,126
Fire Protection
$295
$512
Highways & Roads
$175
$0
Education
$0
$21,342
Public Welfare
$533
$2,071
Health
$210
$426
Hospitals
$511
$1,036
Parks & Recreation
$361
$1,574
Housing
$4,288
$2,788
Sewerage
$386
$140
Utilities
$1,339
$3,523
Other
$6,301
$7,978
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities