Sacramento, CA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Virginia Beach, VA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $42,515, a 67% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Sacramento, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 57/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Sacramento, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Virginia Beach, VA carries $297 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402 per resident, while Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Sacramento, CA at 8% of total revenue, whereas Virginia Beach, VA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 67.0% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($28,505/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $673 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $831 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $31,808 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $1,462 |
| Other | $5,072 | $3,301 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $1,126 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $512 |
| Education | $2,684 | $21,342 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $2,071 |
| Health | $18 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,036 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $1,574 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $2,788 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $140 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $3,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| Other | $26,782 | $7,978 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.