Atlanta, GA vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Atlanta, GA by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $25,457, a 121% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 40-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 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 Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 6% of total revenue in Atlanta, GA and 16% in Philadelphia, PA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 54.8% more per capita than Atlanta ($30,815/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $2,790 |
| Other | $5,461 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $1,215 |
| Education | $25 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $1,456 |
| Health | $0 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $593 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $325 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $8,262 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.