Atlanta, GA vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
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
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Atlanta
Chicago
Total Spending
$12.6B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$25,457
$34,551
Total Revenue
$77.6B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$156,803
$85,083
Total Debt
$0
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$977
Population
494,838
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Atlanta$315
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
Atlanta$464
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Atlanta$513
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Atlanta$1,274
Chicago$122
Education
Atlanta$25
Chicago$0
Health
Atlanta$0
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
AtlantaChicago
| 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)
AtlantaChicago
| 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 |
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health