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

Virginia Beach, VA vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

Virginia Beach spends 36.8% more per capita than Detroit ($11,428/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

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
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Virginia Beach
Detroit
Total Spending
$19.5B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$42,515
$31,087
Total Revenue
$14.6B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$31,808
$44,533
Total Debt
$135.8M
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$297
$776
Population
457,900
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Virginia Beach$1,126
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
Virginia Beach$512
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Virginia Beach$1,574
Detroit$950
Education
Virginia Beach$21,342
Detroit$0
Health
Virginia Beach$426
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Virginia BeachDetroit
Property Tax
$0
$44
Sales Tax
$673
$200
Income Tax
$831
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$31,808
$291
Charges & Fees
$1,462
$2,228
Other
$3,301
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Virginia BeachDetroit
Police
$1,126
$0
Fire Protection
$512
$2,429
Education
$21,342
$0
Public Welfare
$2,071
$833
Health
$426
$396
Hospitals
$1,036
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$1,574
$950
Housing
$2,788
$5,791
Sewerage
$140
$451
Utilities
$3,523
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,068
Other
$7,978
$13,216
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities