Baltimore, MD vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baltimore, MD outspends Las Vegas, NV by a wide margin per resident — $67,935 versus $9,085, a 648% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 70/100 (grade B) for Baltimore, MD — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Baltimore, MD leads with education at $35,510 per resident, while Las Vegas, NV leads with parks and recreation at $1,028.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Baltimore, MD at 7% of total revenue, whereas Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 34%.
Summary
Baltimore spends 647.7% more per capita than Las Vegas ($58,850/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $84 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $55 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $375 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,085 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,192 | $0 |
| Other | $4,765 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $820 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $1,214 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $676 | $45 |
| Education | $35,510 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $714 | $705 |
| Health | $757 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,877 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $384 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $4,087 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $87 | $332 |
| Utilities | $3,809 | $129 |
| General Admin | $19 | $0 |
| Other | $17,981 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.