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

Virginia Beach, VA vs Chicago, IL

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

Summary

Virginia Beach spends 23.0% more per capita than Chicago ($7,964/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Virginia Beach, VA
Pop. 457,900
D
47/100
Budget Balance28
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Virginia Beach
Chicago
Total Spending
$19.5B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$42,515
$34,551
Total Revenue
$14.6B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$31,808
$85,083
Total Debt
$135.8M
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$297
$977
Population
457,900
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Virginia Beach$1,126
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
Virginia Beach$512
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Virginia Beach$0
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Virginia Beach$1,574
Chicago$122
Education
Virginia Beach$21,342
Chicago$0
Health
Virginia Beach$426
Chicago$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Virginia BeachChicago
Property Tax
$0
$26
Sales Tax
$673
$74
Income Tax
$831
$229
Intergovernmental
$31,808
$85,083
Charges & Fees
$1,462
$2,847
Other
$3,301
$3,463

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Virginia BeachChicago
Police
$1,126
$0
Fire Protection
$512
$10,754
Highways & Roads
$0
$930
Education
$21,342
$0
Public Welfare
$2,071
$1,858
Health
$426
$426
Hospitals
$1,036
$1,444
Parks & Recreation
$1,574
$122
Housing
$2,788
$6,520
Sewerage
$140
$129
Utilities
$3,523
$2,983
Other
$7,978
$9,385
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities