Newport News, VA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Newport News, VA spends 34% more per resident than Virginia Beach, VA: $56,948 against $42,515. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Virginia Beach, VA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 47/100 (grade D) against 32/100 (grade F) for Newport News, VA — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $2,213 for Newport News, VA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Newport News, VA at $23,175 per resident and in Virginia Beach, VA at $21,342.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Newport News, VA at 17% of total revenue, whereas Virginia Beach, VA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Newport News spends 33.9% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($14,433/person difference). Virginia Beach, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 47/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $382 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $820 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $899 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,701 | $1,462 |
| Other | $4,722 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,848 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $658 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $702 | $0 |
| Education | $23,175 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $1,145 | $2,071 |
| Health | $377 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,755 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,102 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $4,827 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $219 | $140 |
| Utilities | $7,332 | $3,523 |
| Other | $11,810 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.