Virginia Beach, VA vs Denver, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA spends 27% more per resident than Denver, CO: $42,515 against $33,582. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Denver, CO edges Virginia Beach, VA on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 51/100 (grade C) to 47/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $5,126 for Denver, CO. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342 per resident, while Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Virginia Beach, VA and 37% in Denver, CO.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 26.6% more per capita than Denver ($8,933/person difference). Denver, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $673 | $2,070 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $236 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $44,661 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $5,207 |
| Other | $3,301 | $10,100 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $2,455 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $1,668 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $475 |
| Education | $21,342 | $821 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $764 |
| Health | $426 | $693 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $2,855 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $3,319 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $3,565 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $293 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $4,292 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $7 |
| General Admin | $0 | $364 |
| Other | $7,978 | $12,011 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.