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

San Diego, CA vs Virginia Beach, VA

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

Summary

San Diego spends 1.9% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($791/person difference). San Diego, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
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
San Diego
Virginia Beach
Total Spending
$59.9B
$19.5B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$42,515
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$14.6B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$31,808
Total Debt
$0
$135.8M
Debt / Capita
$0
$297
Population
1,383,987
457,900
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Virginia Beach$1,126
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Virginia Beach$512
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Virginia Beach$0
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Virginia Beach$1,574
Education
San Diego$2,005
Virginia Beach$21,342
Health
San Diego$411
Virginia Beach$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoVirginia Beach
Property Tax
$124
$0
Sales Tax
$63
$673
Income Tax
$194
$831
Intergovernmental
$57
$31,808
Charges & Fees
$14
$1,462
Other
$3,801
$3,301

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoVirginia Beach
Police
$3,335
$1,126
Fire Protection
$1,278
$512
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$0
Education
$2,005
$21,342
Public Welfare
$700
$2,071
Health
$411
$426
Hospitals
$0
$1,036
Parks & Recreation
$436
$1,574
Housing
$4,476
$2,788
Sewerage
$43
$140
Utilities
$11,704
$3,523
Other
$17,509
$7,978
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

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