Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN spends 15% more per resident than Virginia Beach, VA: $48,948 against $42,515. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN and Virginia Beach, VA both land at 47/100 (grade D and D respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $2,292 for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN at $21,061 per resident and in Virginia Beach, VA at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 10% of total revenue in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 15.1% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($6,433/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $373 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $135 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $13,787 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,444 | $1,462 |
| Other | $4,617 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $468 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $11 | $0 |
| Education | $21,061 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $738 | $2,071 |
| Health | $672 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,100 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,015 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $4,231 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $217 | $140 |
| Utilities | $3,140 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,667 | $0 |
| General Admin | $2,081 | $0 |
| Other | $10,028 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.