Chicago, IL vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Philadelphia spends 38.6% more per capita than Chicago ($21,721/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
D
45/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden53
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Chicago
Philadelphia
Total Spending
$94.0B
$89.7B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$56,272
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$64.4B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$40,425
Total Debt
$2.7B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$977
$1,069
Population
2,721,914
1,593,208
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Chicago$0
Philadelphia$1,505
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Philadelphia$7,082
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Philadelphia$1,215
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Philadelphia$593
Health
Chicago$426
Philadelphia$229
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoPhiladelphia
| Property Tax | $26 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $2,790 |
| Other | $3,463 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoPhiladelphia
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $1,456 |
| Health | $426 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $593 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $325 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $9,385 | $30,692 |
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health