Aurora, IL vs Joliet, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Joliet, IL spends 22% more per resident than Aurora, IL: $18,675 against $15,301. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Aurora, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 40/100 (grade D) for Joliet, IL — a 47-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Aurora, IL carries the lighter load at $489 per resident versus $4,260 for Joliet, IL. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Aurora, IL at $494 per resident and in Joliet, IL at $459.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 5% of total revenue in Aurora, IL and 92% in Joliet, IL.
Summary
Joliet spends 18.1% more per capita than Aurora ($3,374/person difference). Aurora, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $114 | $323 |
| Income Tax | $144 | $1,006 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,481 | $12,066 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,224 | $2,156 |
| Other | $1,114 | $3,429 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $216 | $208 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $165 |
| Public Welfare | $922 | $2,118 |
| Health | $0 | $450 |
| Hospitals | $257 | $485 |
| Parks & Recreation | $494 | $459 |
| Housing | $4,836 | $3,292 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $94 |
| Utilities | $2,366 | $3,400 |
| Other | $6,210 | $8,005 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.