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

Portsmouth, VA vs Virginia Beach, VA

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

Summary

Portsmouth spends 9.9% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($4,189/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
Virginia Beach, VA
Pop. 457,900
D
47/100
Budget Balance28
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Portsmouth
Virginia Beach
Total Spending
$4.5B
$19.5B
Spending / Capita
$46,704
$42,515
Total Revenue
$6.4B
$14.6B
Revenue / Capita
$66,060
$31,808
Total Debt
$0
$135.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$297
Population
97,384
457,900
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Portsmouth$1,848
Virginia Beach$1,126
Fire Protection
Portsmouth$450
Virginia Beach$512
Highways & Roads
Portsmouth$954
Virginia Beach$0
Parks & Recreation
Portsmouth$1,573
Virginia Beach$1,574
Education
Portsmouth$20,569
Virginia Beach$21,342
Health
Portsmouth$270
Virginia Beach$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortsmouthVirginia Beach
Sales Tax
$291
$673
Income Tax
$2,119
$831
Intergovernmental
$12
$31,808
Charges & Fees
$2,606
$1,462
Other
$2,972
$3,301

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortsmouthVirginia Beach
Police
$1,848
$1,126
Fire Protection
$450
$512
Highways & Roads
$954
$0
Education
$20,569
$21,342
Public Welfare
$1,406
$2,071
Health
$270
$426
Hospitals
$3,784
$1,036
Parks & Recreation
$1,573
$1,574
Housing
$3,282
$2,788
Sewerage
$298
$140
Utilities
$4,446
$3,523
Interest on Debt
$63
$0
Other
$7,760
$7,978
B
Portsmouth, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

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