Oakland, CA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA spends 41% more per resident than Oakland, CA: $42,515 against $30,055. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 25-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA 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: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Oakland, CA and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 29.3% more per capita than Oakland ($12,461/person difference). Oakland, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $522 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,462 |
| Other | $4,337 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $1 | $512 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $2,071 |
| Health | $1,016 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $140 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,523 |
| Other | $13,929 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.