Portland, OR vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends Portland, OR by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $23,675, a 80% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Portland, OR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $1,574 for Portland, OR. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 100% in Virginia Beach, VA.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 44.3% more per capita than Portland ($18,840/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $1,462 |
| Other | $7,916 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $2,071 |
| Health | $0 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $140 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $3,523 |
| Other | $6,689 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.