Virginia Beach, VA vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends Las Vegas, NV by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $9,085, a 368% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 35-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Las Vegas, NV 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 Las Vegas, NV leads with parks and recreation at $1,028.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Virginia Beach, VA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 34%.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 368.0% more per capita than Las Vegas ($33,430/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $673 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $0 |
| Other | $3,301 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $45 |
| Education | $21,342 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $705 |
| Health | $426 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $332 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $129 |
| Other | $7,978 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.