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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Virginia Beach, VA vs Houston, TX

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

Summary

Virginia Beach spends 195.2% more per capita than Houston ($28,115/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

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
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Virginia Beach
Houston
Total Spending
$19.5B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$42,515
$14,400
Total Revenue
$14.6B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$31,808
$55,600
Total Debt
$135.8M
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$297
$863
Population
457,900
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Virginia Beach$1,126
Houston$0
Fire Protection
Virginia Beach$512
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Virginia Beach$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Virginia Beach$1,574
Houston$361
Education
Virginia Beach$21,342
Houston$0
Health
Virginia Beach$426
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Virginia BeachHouston
Sales Tax
$673
$181
Income Tax
$831
$39
Intergovernmental
$31,808
$33
Charges & Fees
$1,462
$3,475
Other
$3,301
$3,960

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Virginia BeachHouston
Police
$1,126
$0
Fire Protection
$512
$295
Highways & Roads
$0
$175
Education
$21,342
$0
Public Welfare
$2,071
$533
Health
$426
$210
Hospitals
$1,036
$511
Parks & Recreation
$1,574
$361
Housing
$2,788
$4,288
Sewerage
$140
$386
Utilities
$3,523
$1,339
Other
$7,978
$6,301
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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