Virginia Beach, VA vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA spends 22% more per resident than Dallas, TX: $42,515 against $34,849. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Dallas, TX 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.
Dallas, TX 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: Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Virginia Beach, VA and 22% in Dallas, TX.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 22.0% more per capita than Dallas ($7,666/person difference). Dallas, TX 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 | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $673 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $0 |
| Other | $3,301 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $201 |
| Education | $21,342 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $215 |
| Health | $426 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $0 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $833 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $7,978 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.