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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Virginia Beach, VA vs Raleigh, NC

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Virginia Beach spends 205.6% more per capita than Raleigh ($28,604/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Virginia Beach, VA
Pop. 457,900
D
47/100
Budget Balance28
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Virginia Beach
Raleigh
Total Spending
$19.5B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$42,515
$13,911
Total Revenue
$14.6B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$31,808
$29,940
Total Debt
$135.8M
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$297
$906
Population
457,900
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Virginia Beach$1,126
Raleigh$0
Fire Protection
Virginia Beach$512
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Virginia Beach$0
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Virginia Beach$1,574
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Virginia Beach$21,342
Raleigh$6
Health
Virginia Beach$426
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Virginia BeachRaleigh
Sales Tax
$673
$858
Income Tax
$831
$806
Intergovernmental
$31,808
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$1,462
$2,681
Other
$3,301
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Virginia BeachRaleigh
Police
$1,126
$0
Fire Protection
$512
$277
Highways & Roads
$0
$448
Education
$21,342
$6
Public Welfare
$2,071
$498
Health
$426
$0
Hospitals
$1,036
$669
Parks & Recreation
$1,574
$1,391
Housing
$2,788
$2,712
Sewerage
$140
$281
Utilities
$3,523
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,513
Other
$7,978
$3,646
D
Virginia Beach, VA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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