Virginia Beach, VA vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Virginia Beach, VA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $42,515, a 67% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Sacramento, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 57/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Sacramento, CA 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 Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Virginia Beach, VA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Sacramento, CA relies most on other revenue at 8%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 40.1% more per capita than Virginia Beach ($28,505/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,465 |
| Sales Tax | $673 | $378 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $3,104 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $3,400 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $3,239 |
| Other | $3,301 | $5,072 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $5,402 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $2,466 |
| Education | $21,342 | $2,684 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $3,470 |
| Health | $426 | $18 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $1,437 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $8,577 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $103 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $19,920 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $162 |
| Other | $7,978 | $26,782 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.