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

Chicago, IL vs Portland, OR

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

Summary

Chicago spends 45.9% more per capita than Portland ($10,877/person difference). Portland, OR 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
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
Portland
Total Spending
$94.0B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$23,675
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$47,970
Total Debt
$2.7B
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$977
$1,574
Population
2,721,914
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Portland$2,477
Health
Chicago$426
Portland$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoPortland
Property Tax
$26
$0
Sales Tax
$74
$1,695
Income Tax
$229
$130
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$8,979
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$3,883
Other
$3,463
$7,916

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoPortland
Fire Protection
$10,754
$1,700
Highways & Roads
$930
$139
Public Welfare
$1,858
$3,607
Health
$426
$0
Hospitals
$1,444
$2,893
Parks & Recreation
$122
$2,477
Housing
$6,520
$3,694
Sewerage
$129
$630
Utilities
$2,983
$1,845
Other
$9,385
$6,689
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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