Virginia Beach, VA vs Wichita, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Virginia Beach, VA outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $42,515 versus $7,986, a 432% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 47/100 (grade D) for Virginia Beach, VA — a 43-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 per resident versus $297 for Virginia Beach, VA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Virginia Beach, VA leads with education at $21,342 per resident, while Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Virginia Beach, VA and 14% in Wichita, KS.
Summary
Virginia Beach spends 432.4% more per capita than Wichita ($34,529/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $673 | $246 |
| Income Tax | $831 | $57 |
| Intergovernmental | $31,808 | $3,895 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,462 | $3,193 |
| Other | $3,301 | $2,783 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,126 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $512 | $152 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $126 |
| Education | $21,342 | $2 |
| Public Welfare | $2,071 | $441 |
| Health | $426 | $254 |
| Hospitals | $1,036 | $113 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,574 | $874 |
| Housing | $2,788 | $2,618 |
| Sewerage | $140 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,523 | $1,225 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $70 |
| Other | $7,978 | $2,111 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.