Philadelphia, PA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA spends 32% more per resident than Virginia Beach, VA: $56,272 against $42,515. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Virginia Beach, VA edges Philadelphia, PA on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 47/100 (grade D) to 45/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $1,069 for Philadelphia, PA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 16% of total revenue in Philadelphia, PA and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 32.4% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($13,757/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 | $107 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $1,462 |
| Other | $4,029 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $2,071 |
| Health | $229 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $140 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.