Chicago, IL vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 58.7% more per capita than Austin ($12,779/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Chicago
Austin
Total Spending
$94.0B
$20.9B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$21,772
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$74.4B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$77,600
Total Debt
$2.7B
$1.2B
Debt / Capita
$977
$1,229
Population
2,721,914
958,202
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Austin$634
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Austin$0
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Austin$1,801
Education
Chicago$0
Austin$51
Health
Chicago$426
Austin$517
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoAustin
| Property Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $3,247 |
| Other | $3,463 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoAustin
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $634 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $0 |
| Education | $0 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $1,837 |
| Health | $426 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $865 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $3,264 |
| Other | $9,385 | $8,399 |
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health