Austin, TX vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 37.0% more per capita than Austin ($12,779/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Austin
Chicago
Total Spending
$20.9B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$34,551
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$85,083
Total Debt
$1.2B
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$977
Population
958,202
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Austin$634
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Austin$0
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Chicago$122
Education
Austin$51
Chicago$0
Health
Austin$517
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
AustinChicago
| Property Tax | $0 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $526 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $1,465 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,031 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,247 | $2,847 |
| Other | $5,645 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
AustinChicago
| Fire Protection | $634 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $930 |
| Education | $51 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,837 | $1,858 |
| Health | $517 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $664 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,801 | $122 |
| Housing | $3,741 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $865 | $129 |
| Utilities | $3,264 | $2,983 |
| Other | $8,399 | $9,385 |
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health