Virginia Beach, VA vs El Paso, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends El Paso, TX by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $24,259, a 75% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
El Paso, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
El Paso, 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 El Paso, TX leads with police at $1,159.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Virginia Beach, VA and 10% in El Paso, TX.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 75.3% more per capita than El Paso ($18,256/person difference). El Paso, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $673 | $65 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $12 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $690 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $31 |
| Other | $3,301 | $550 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $1,159 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $233 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $83 |
| Education | $21,342 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $299 |
| Health | $426 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $11 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $151 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $958 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $6 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $224 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $40 |
| General Admin | $0 | $17,951 |
| Other | $7,978 | $3,145 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.