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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Chicago, IL vs Charlotte, NC

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Chicago spends 117.9% more per capita than Charlotte ($18,698/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
Charlotte
Total Spending
$94.0B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$15,854
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$49,746
Total Debt
$2.7B
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$977
$2,690
Population
2,721,914
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Charlotte$1,571
Health
Chicago$426
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoCharlotte
Property Tax
$26
$0
Sales Tax
$74
$541
Income Tax
$229
$366
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$2,459
Other
$3,463
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoCharlotte
Fire Protection
$10,754
$463
Highways & Roads
$930
$41
Public Welfare
$1,858
$672
Health
$426
$0
Hospitals
$1,444
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$122
$1,571
Housing
$6,520
$3,944
Sewerage
$129
$0
Utilities
$2,983
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,226
Other
$9,385
$3,448
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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