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

Chicago, IL vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

Chicago spends 148.4% more per capita than Raleigh ($20,640/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

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
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
Raleigh
Total Spending
$94.0B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$13,911
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$29,940
Total Debt
$2.7B
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$977
$906
Population
2,721,914
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Raleigh$1,391
Education
Chicago$0
Raleigh$6
Health
Chicago$426
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoRaleigh
Property Tax
$26
$0
Sales Tax
$74
$858
Income Tax
$229
$806
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$2,681
Other
$3,463
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoRaleigh
Fire Protection
$10,754
$277
Highways & Roads
$930
$448
Education
$0
$6
Public Welfare
$1,858
$498
Health
$426
$0
Hospitals
$1,444
$669
Parks & Recreation
$122
$1,391
Housing
$6,520
$2,712
Sewerage
$129
$281
Utilities
$2,983
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,513
Other
$9,385
$3,646
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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