Miami, FL vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA spends 51% more per resident than Miami, FL: $42,515 against $28,195. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Miami, 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.
Miami, FL 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: Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Miami, FL and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 33.7% more per capita than Miami ($14,320/person difference). Miami, 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 | $0 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,647 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $15,037 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,462 |
| Other | $1,399 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $7,399 | $512 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $109 | $2,071 |
| Health | $0 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $1,499 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,783 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $6,840 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $699 | $140 |
| Utilities | $1,295 | $3,523 |
| Other | $8,572 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.