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

Portsmouth, VA vs Roanoke, VA

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

Summary

Portsmouth spends 21.3% more per capita than Roanoke ($8,191/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
Roanoke, VA
Pop. 99,213
C
59/100
Budget Balance37
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Portsmouth
Roanoke
Total Spending
$4.5B
$3.8B
Spending / Capita
$46,704
$38,513
Total Revenue
$6.4B
$1.8B
Revenue / Capita
$66,060
$18,241
Total Debt
$0
$722K
Debt / Capita
$0
$7
Population
97,384
99,213
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Portsmouth$1,848
Roanoke$1,543
Fire Protection
Portsmouth$450
Roanoke$235
Highways & Roads
Portsmouth$954
Roanoke$1,357
Parks & Recreation
Portsmouth$1,573
Roanoke$950
Education
Portsmouth$20,569
Roanoke$18,609
Health
Portsmouth$270
Roanoke$573

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortsmouthRoanoke
Sales Tax
$291
$472
Income Tax
$2,119
$386
Intergovernmental
$12
$1,358
Charges & Fees
$2,606
$0
Other
$2,972
$2,424

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortsmouthRoanoke
Police
$1,848
$1,543
Fire Protection
$450
$235
Highways & Roads
$954
$1,357
Education
$20,569
$18,609
Public Welfare
$1,406
$0
Health
$270
$573
Hospitals
$3,784
$511
Parks & Recreation
$1,573
$950
Housing
$3,282
$2,054
Sewerage
$298
$112
Utilities
$4,446
$3,633
Interest on Debt
$63
$0
Other
$7,760
$8,936
B
Portsmouth, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
Roanoke, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health

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