Virginia Beach, VA vs Charlotte, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends Charlotte, NC by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $15,854, a 168% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Charlotte, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $2,690 for Charlotte, NC. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342 per resident, while Charlotte, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,571.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Virginia Beach, VA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Charlotte, NC relies most on other revenue at 10%.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 168.2% more per capita than Charlotte ($26,662/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $673 | $541 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $366 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $1,859 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $2,459 |
| Other | $3,301 | $4,866 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $463 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $41 |
| Education | $21,342 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $672 |
| Health | $426 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $1,243 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $1,571 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $3,944 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $2,244 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,226 |
| Other | $7,978 | $3,448 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.