Allentown, PA vs Scranton, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Allentown, PA spends 46% more per resident than Scranton, PA: $15,252 against $10,446. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Scranton, PA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 68/100 (grade B) for Allentown, PA — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Allentown, PA leads with parks and recreation at $620 per resident, while Scranton, PA leads with fire protection at $1,029.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Allentown, PA at 42% of total revenue, whereas Scranton, PA relies most on income tax at 11%.
Summary
Allentown spends 46.0% more per capita than Scranton ($4,807/person difference). Scranton, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $37 | $28 |
| Sales Tax | $55 | $3 |
| Income Tax | $1,166 | $1,114 |
| Intergovernmental | $210 | $114 |
| Other | $3,410 | $47 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $333 | $1,029 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $156 |
| Public Welfare | $1,275 | $115 |
| Health | $0 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $1,505 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $620 | $130 |
| Housing | $3,312 | $3,373 |
| Utilities | $2,206 | $668 |
| Other | $6,001 | $4,564 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.