Chicago, IL vs Atlanta, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Chicago, IL spends 36% more per resident than Atlanta, GA: $34,551 against $25,457. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 61/100 (grade C) for Chicago, IL — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Atlanta, GA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Chicago, IL carries $977 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754 per resident, while Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Chicago, IL and 6% in Atlanta, GA.
Summary
Chicago spends 35.7% more per capita than Atlanta ($9,094/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $26 | $419 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $1,292 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $9,121 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $5,645 |
| Other | $3,463 | $5,461 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $315 |
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $464 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $513 |
| Education | $0 | $25 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $1,587 |
| Health | $426 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $55 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $1,274 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $4,594 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $343 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $8,026 |
| Other | $9,385 | $8,262 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.