Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Newport News, VA vs Roanoke, VA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Newport News spends 47.9% more per capita than Roanoke ($18,435/person difference). Roanoke, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Newport News, VA
Pop. 185,118
F
32/100
Budget Balance7
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Roanoke, VA
Pop. 99,213
C
59/100
Budget Balance37
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Newport News
Roanoke
Total Spending
$10.5B
$3.8B
Spending / Capita
$56,948
$38,513
Total Revenue
$6.2B
$1.8B
Revenue / Capita
$33,516
$18,241
Total Debt
$409.7M
$722K
Debt / Capita
$2,213
$7
Population
185,118
99,213
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Newport News$1,848
Roanoke$1,543
Fire Protection
Newport News$658
Roanoke$235
Highways & Roads
Newport News$702
Roanoke$1,357
Parks & Recreation
Newport News$2,102
Roanoke$950
Education
Newport News$23,175
Roanoke$18,609
Health
Newport News$377
Roanoke$573

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Newport NewsRoanoke
Sales Tax
$382
$472
Income Tax
$820
$386
Intergovernmental
$899
$1,358
Charges & Fees
$5,701
$0
Other
$4,722
$2,424

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Newport NewsRoanoke
Police
$1,848
$1,543
Fire Protection
$658
$235
Highways & Roads
$702
$1,357
Education
$23,175
$18,609
Public Welfare
$1,145
$0
Health
$377
$573
Hospitals
$2,755
$511
Parks & Recreation
$2,102
$950
Housing
$4,827
$2,054
Sewerage
$219
$112
Utilities
$7,332
$3,633
Other
$11,810
$8,936
F
Newport News, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 32/100
Critical fiscal distress
C
Roanoke, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities