Virginia Beach, VA vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends Milwaukee, WI by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $19,417, a 119% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Milwaukee, WI 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 Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Virginia Beach, VA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 119.0% more per capita than Milwaukee ($23,098/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $673 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $0 |
| Other | $3,301 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $23 |
| Education | $21,342 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $180 |
| Health | $426 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,608 |
| Other | $7,978 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.