Portsmouth, VA vs Richmond, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Richmond, VA spends 32% more per resident than Portsmouth, VA: $61,661 against $46,704. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Portsmouth, VA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 45/100 (grade D) for Richmond, VA — a 30-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Portsmouth, VA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Richmond, VA carries $1,304 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Portsmouth, VA at $20,569 per resident and in Richmond, VA at $20,033.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 4% of total revenue in Portsmouth, VA and 10% in Richmond, VA.
Summary
Richmond spends 24.3% more per capita than Portsmouth ($14,957/person difference). Portsmouth, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $291 | $930 |
| Income Tax | $2,119 | $879 |
| Intergovernmental | $12 | $3,985 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,606 | $3,949 |
| Other | $2,972 | $7,690 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,848 | $2,108 |
| Fire Protection | $450 | $921 |
| Highways & Roads | $954 | $738 |
| Education | $20,569 | $20,033 |
| Public Welfare | $1,406 | $1,535 |
| Health | $270 | $341 |
| Hospitals | $3,784 | $3,770 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,573 | $1,154 |
| Housing | $3,282 | $5,951 |
| Sewerage | $298 | $17 |
| Utilities | $4,446 | $7,265 |
| Interest on Debt | $63 | $3,048 |
| Other | $7,760 | $14,781 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.