Chicago, IL vs Memphis, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 56.3% more per capita than Memphis ($12,441/person difference). Memphis, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Chicago
Memphis
Total Spending
$94.0B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$22,111
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$21.5B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$34,065
Total Debt
$2.7B
$191.2M
Debt / Capita
$977
$303
Population
2,721,914
630,027
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Memphis$469
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Memphis$277
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Memphis$1,397
Health
Chicago$426
Memphis$391
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoMemphis
| Property Tax | $26 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $496 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $1,218 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $34,065 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $2,077 |
| Other | $3,463 | $3,994 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoMemphis
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $469 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $277 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $630 |
| Health | $426 | $391 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $1,677 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $1,397 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $4,683 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $2,578 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,158 |
| Other | $9,385 | $8,850 |
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health