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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Norfolk, VA vs Portsmouth, VA

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

Summary

Norfolk spends 8.9% more per capita than Portsmouth ($4,175/person difference). Portsmouth, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Norfolk, VA
Pop. 236,973
D
46/100
Budget Balance62
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Portsmouth, VA
Pop. 97,384
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Norfolk
Portsmouth
Total Spending
$12.1B
$4.5B
Spending / Capita
$50,880
$46,704
Total Revenue
$17.4B
$6.4B
Revenue / Capita
$73,324
$66,060
Total Debt
$324.7M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,370
$0
Population
236,973
97,384
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Norfolk$1,718
Portsmouth$1,848
Fire Protection
Norfolk$832
Portsmouth$450
Highways & Roads
Norfolk$1,186
Portsmouth$954
Parks & Recreation
Norfolk$1,601
Portsmouth$1,573
Education
Norfolk$19,019
Portsmouth$20,569
Health
Norfolk$519
Portsmouth$270

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

NorfolkPortsmouth
Property Tax
$97
$0
Sales Tax
$1,289
$291
Income Tax
$896
$2,119
Intergovernmental
$4,946
$12
Charges & Fees
$4,679
$2,606
Other
$3,596
$2,972

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

NorfolkPortsmouth
Police
$1,718
$1,848
Fire Protection
$832
$450
Highways & Roads
$1,186
$954
Education
$19,019
$20,569
Public Welfare
$1,311
$1,406
Health
$519
$270
Hospitals
$5,390
$3,784
Parks & Recreation
$1,601
$1,573
Housing
$3,939
$3,282
Sewerage
$96
$298
Utilities
$5,495
$4,446
Interest on Debt
$0
$63
Other
$9,773
$7,760
D
Norfolk, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 46/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Portsmouth, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health

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