Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Chicago, IL vs Elgin, IL

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

Summary

Chicago spends 142.8% more per capita than Elgin ($20,322/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

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
Elgin, IL
Pop. 114,190
C
58/100
Budget Balance20
Debt Burden76
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency96
Revenue Diversity34
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
Elgin
Total Spending
$94.0B
$1.6B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$14,229
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$603.5M
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$5,285
Total Debt
$2.7B
$70.4M
Debt / Capita
$977
$617
Population
2,721,914
114,190
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Elgin$222
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Elgin$116
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Elgin$1,641
Education
Chicago$0
Elgin$53
Health
Chicago$426
Elgin$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoElgin
Property Tax
$26
$0
Sales Tax
$74
$754
Income Tax
$229
$651
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$1,170
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$2,267
Other
$3,463
$1,754

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoElgin
Fire Protection
$10,754
$222
Highways & Roads
$930
$116
Education
$0
$53
Public Welfare
$1,858
$718
Health
$426
$0
Hospitals
$1,444
$0
Parks & Recreation
$122
$1,641
Housing
$6,520
$4,472
Sewerage
$129
$0
Utilities
$2,983
$2,850
Other
$9,385
$4,159
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Elgin, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 58/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities