Bend, OR vs Salem, OR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Salem, OR spends 37% more per resident than Bend, OR: $15,959 against $11,671. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Bend, OR edges Salem, OR on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 72/100 (grade B) to 68/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Bend, OR carries the lighter load at $597 per resident versus $1,019 for Salem, OR. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Bend, OR leads with fire protection at $509 per resident, while Salem, OR leads with parks and recreation at $899.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Bend, OR at 15% of total revenue, whereas Salem, OR relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 12%.
Summary
Salem spends 26.9% more per capita than Bend ($4,287/person difference). Bend, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $29 |
| Sales Tax | $96 | $301 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,599 | $5,706 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,279 | $2,510 |
| Other | $5,555 | $5,114 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $509 | $185 |
| Highways & Roads | $315 | $285 |
| Education | $34 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,287 | $1,100 |
| Health | $0 | $311 |
| Hospitals | $471 | $2,834 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $899 |
| Housing | $2,520 | $3,037 |
| Sewerage | $645 | $317 |
| Utilities | $1,020 | $1,581 |
| Other | $4,872 | $5,409 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.