Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Roanoke, VA vs Virginia Beach, VA

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

Summary

Virginia Beach spends 9.4% more per capita than Roanoke ($4,002/person difference). Roanoke, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 59/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Roanoke, VA
Pop. 99,213
C
59/100
Budget Balance37
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
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Total Spending
$3.8B
$19.5B
Spending / Capita
$38,513
$42,515
Total Revenue
$1.8B
$14.6B
Revenue / Capita
$18,241
$31,808
Total Debt
$722K
$135.8M
Debt / Capita
$7
$297
Population
99,213
457,900
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Roanoke$1,543
Virginia Beach$1,126
Fire Protection
Roanoke$235
Virginia Beach$512
Highways & Roads
Roanoke$1,357
Virginia Beach$0
Parks & Recreation
Roanoke$950
Virginia Beach$1,574
Education
Roanoke$18,609
Virginia Beach$21,342
Health
Roanoke$573
Virginia Beach$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RoanokeVirginia Beach
Sales Tax
$472
$673
Income Tax
$386
$831
Intergovernmental
$1,358
$31,808
Charges & Fees
$0
$1,462
Other
$2,424
$3,301

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RoanokeVirginia Beach
Police
$1,543
$1,126
Fire Protection
$235
$512
Highways & Roads
$1,357
$0
Education
$18,609
$21,342
Public Welfare
$0
$2,071
Health
$573
$426
Hospitals
$511
$1,036
Parks & Recreation
$950
$1,574
Housing
$2,054
$2,788
Sewerage
$112
$140
Utilities
$3,633
$3,523
Other
$8,936
$7,978
C
Roanoke, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 59/100
Average fiscal health
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities