Long Beach, CA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA spends 24% more per resident than Long Beach, CA: $42,515 against $34,250. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Long Beach, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 67/100 (grade B) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA 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: Long Beach, CA leads with parks and recreation at $698 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Virginia Beach, VA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 19.4% more per capita than Long Beach ($8,265/person difference). Long Beach, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $36 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $1,462 |
| Other | $8,836 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $512 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $2,071 |
| Health | $477 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $140 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| Other | $16,533 | $7,978 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.