Baltimore, MD vs Detroit, MI

Baltimore, MD outspends Detroit, MI by a wide margin per resident — $67,935 versus $31,087, a 119% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Baltimore, MD edges Detroit, MI on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 69/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Baltimore, MD reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Detroit, MI carries $776 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Baltimore, MD leads with education at $35,510 per resident, while Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Baltimore, MD at 7% of total revenue, whereas Detroit, MI relies most on other revenue at 15%.