Chicago, IL vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 11.1% more per capita than Detroit ($3,464/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Chicago
Detroit
Total Spending
$94.0B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$31,087
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$44,533
Total Debt
$2.7B
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$977
$776
Population
2,721,914
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Detroit$950
Health
Chicago$426
Detroit$396
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoDetroit
| Property Tax | $26 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $2,228 |
| Other | $3,463 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoDetroit
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $2,429 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $833 |
| Health | $426 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $950 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $451 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,068 |
| Other | $9,385 | $13,216 |
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health