Atlanta, GA vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chicago, IL spends 36% more per resident than Atlanta, GA: $34,551 against $25,457. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 61/100 (grade C) for Chicago, IL — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Chicago, IL carries $977 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274 per resident, while Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 6% of total revenue in Atlanta, GA and 100% in Chicago, IL.
Summary
Chicago spends 26.3% more per capita than Atlanta ($9,094/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $419 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $2,847 |
| Other | $5,461 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $930 |
| Education | $25 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $1,858 |
| Health | $0 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $122 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $129 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $2,983 |
| Other | $8,262 | $9,385 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.