Virginia Beach, VA vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA spends 32% more per resident than Virginia Beach, VA: $56,272 against $42,515. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Virginia Beach, VA edges Philadelphia, PA on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 47/100 (grade D) to 45/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Virginia Beach, VA carries the lighter load at $297 per resident versus $1,069 for Philadelphia, PA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342 per resident, while Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Virginia Beach, VA and 16% in Philadelphia, PA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 24.4% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($13,757/person difference). Virginia Beach, VA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 47/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $673 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $2,790 |
| Other | $3,301 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,215 |
| Education | $21,342 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $1,456 |
| Health | $426 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $593 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $325 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $7,978 | $30,692 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.