Virginia Beach, VA vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA spends 51% more per resident than Miami, FL: $42,515 against $28,195. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Miami, FL edges Virginia Beach, VA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 53/100 (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.
Miami, FL 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 Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Virginia Beach, VA and 100% in Miami, FL.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 50.8% more per capita than Miami ($14,320/person difference). Miami, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $673 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $0 |
| Other | $3,301 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $7,399 |
| Education | $21,342 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $109 |
| Health | $426 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $699 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $1,295 |
| Other | $7,978 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.