Jacksonville, FL vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA spends 35% more per resident than Jacksonville, FL: $42,515 against $31,456. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Jacksonville, FL edges Virginia Beach, VA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 53/100 (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 $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Jacksonville, FL and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 26.0% more per capita than Jacksonville ($11,059/person difference). Jacksonville, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $1,462 |
| Other | $4,705 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $512 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $2,071 |
| Health | $332 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $140 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| Other | $9,771 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.