Milwaukee, WI vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $19,417, a 119% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI 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: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Virginia Beach, VA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 54.3% more per capita than Milwaukee ($23,098/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,462 |
| Other | $3,984 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $2,071 |
| Health | $1 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $140 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $0 |
| Other | $8,018 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.