Virginia Beach, VA vs Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN spends 15% more per resident than Virginia Beach, VA: $48,948 against $42,515. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Virginia Beach, VA and Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN both land at 47/100 (grade D and D respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $2,292 for Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Virginia Beach, VA at $21,342 per resident and in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN at $21,061.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Virginia Beach, VA and 10% in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN.
Summary
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) spends 13.1% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($6,433/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $673 | $373 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $135 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $13,787 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $2,444 |
| Other | $3,301 | $4,617 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $468 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $11 |
| Education | $21,342 | $21,061 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $738 |
| Health | $426 | $672 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $2,100 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $1,015 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $4,231 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $217 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $3,140 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,667 |
| General Admin | $0 | $2,081 |
| Other | $7,978 | $10,028 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.