Virginia Beach, VA vs Richmond, VA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Richmond, VA spends 45% more per resident than Virginia Beach, VA: $61,661 against $42,515. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Virginia Beach, VA edges Richmond, VA 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 $1,304 for Richmond, VA. 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 Richmond, VA at $20,033.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Virginia Beach, VA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Richmond, VA relies most on other revenue at 10%.
Summary
Richmond spends 31.1% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($19,146/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 | $930 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $879 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $3,985 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $3,949 |
| Other | $3,301 | $7,690 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $2,108 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $921 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $738 |
| Education | $21,342 | $20,033 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $1,535 |
| Health | $426 | $341 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $3,770 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $1,154 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $5,951 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $17 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $7,265 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3,048 |
| Other | $7,978 | $14,781 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.