Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Portsmouth, VA vs Alexandria, VA

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

Summary

Alexandria spends 19.5% more per capita than Portsmouth ($11,289/person difference). Portsmouth, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Portsmouth, VA
Pop. 97,384
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Alexandria, VA
Pop. 157,594
C
53/100
Budget Balance50
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Portsmouth
Alexandria
Total Spending
$4.5B
$9.1B
Spending / Capita
$46,704
$57,994
Total Revenue
$6.4B
$2.0B
Revenue / Capita
$66,060
$12,835
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
97,384
157,594
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Portsmouth$1,848
Alexandria$1,312
Fire Protection
Portsmouth$450
Alexandria$848
Highways & Roads
Portsmouth$954
Alexandria$675
Parks & Recreation
Portsmouth$1,573
Alexandria$2,244
Education
Portsmouth$20,569
Alexandria$22,295
Health
Portsmouth$270
Alexandria$541

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortsmouthAlexandria
Property Tax
$0
$38
Sales Tax
$291
$729
Income Tax
$2,119
$603
Intergovernmental
$12
$15,384
Charges & Fees
$2,606
$0
Other
$2,972
$6,522

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortsmouthAlexandria
Police
$1,848
$1,312
Fire Protection
$450
$848
Highways & Roads
$954
$675
Education
$20,569
$22,295
Public Welfare
$1,406
$1,976
Health
$270
$541
Hospitals
$3,784
$3,274
Parks & Recreation
$1,573
$2,244
Housing
$3,282
$4,894
Sewerage
$298
$615
Utilities
$4,446
$4,795
Interest on Debt
$63
$1,752
Other
$7,760
$12,773
B
Portsmouth, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
Alexandria, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities