Richmond, VA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Richmond, VA spends 45% more per resident than Virginia Beach, VA: $61,661 against $42,515. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Virginia Beach, VA edges Richmond, VA on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 47/100 (grade D) to 45/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $1,304 for Richmond, VA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Richmond, VA at $20,033 per resident and in Virginia Beach, VA at $21,342.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Richmond, VA at 10% of total revenue, whereas Virginia Beach, VA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Richmond spends 45.0% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($19,146/person difference). Virginia Beach, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 47/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $930 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $879 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,985 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,949 | $1,462 |
| Other | $7,690 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,108 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $921 | $512 |
| Highways & Roads | $738 | $0 |
| Education | $20,033 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $1,535 | $2,071 |
| Health | $341 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $3,770 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,154 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $5,951 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $17 | $140 |
| Utilities | $7,265 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $3,048 | $0 |
| Other | $14,781 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.