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

Portsmouth, VA vs Chesapeake, VA

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

Summary

Portsmouth spends 1.8% more per capita than Chesapeake ($845/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
Chesapeake, VA
Pop. 249,377
D
41/100
Budget Balance30
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Portsmouth
Chesapeake
Total Spending
$4.5B
$11.4B
Spending / Capita
$46,704
$45,860
Total Revenue
$6.4B
$24.3M
Revenue / Capita
$66,060
$98
Total Debt
$0
$170.5M
Debt / Capita
$0
$684
Population
97,384
249,377
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Portsmouth$1,848
Chesapeake$2,306
Fire Protection
Portsmouth$450
Chesapeake$755
Highways & Roads
Portsmouth$954
Chesapeake$413
Parks & Recreation
Portsmouth$1,573
Chesapeake$559
Education
Portsmouth$20,569
Chesapeake$25,005
Health
Portsmouth$270
Chesapeake$481

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortsmouthChesapeake
Property Tax
$0
$12
Sales Tax
$291
$39
Income Tax
$2,119
$0
Intergovernmental
$12
$5
Charges & Fees
$2,606
$1,780
Other
$2,972
$3,671

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortsmouthChesapeake
Police
$1,848
$2,306
Fire Protection
$450
$755
Highways & Roads
$954
$413
Education
$20,569
$25,005
Public Welfare
$1,406
$2,106
Health
$270
$481
Hospitals
$3,784
$1,086
Parks & Recreation
$1,573
$559
Housing
$3,282
$3,550
Sewerage
$298
$331
Utilities
$4,446
$3,148
Interest on Debt
$63
$0
Other
$7,760
$6,120
B
Portsmouth, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
D
Chesapeake, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health

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