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

Chicago, IL vs San Antonio, TX

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

Summary

Chicago spends 103.9% more per capita than San Antonio ($17,609/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).

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
San Antonio, TX
Pop. 1,445,662
B
68/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
San Antonio
Total Spending
$94.0B
$24.5B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$16,943
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$124.1B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$85,853
Total Debt
$2.7B
$3.1B
Debt / Capita
$977
$2,131
Population
2,721,914
1,445,662
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
San Antonio$396
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
San Antonio$158
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
San Antonio$1,045
Education
Chicago$0
San Antonio$23
Health
Chicago$426
San Antonio$293

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoSan Antonio
Property Tax
$26
$9
Sales Tax
$74
$293
Income Tax
$229
$1,000
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$14,312
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$4,025
Other
$3,463
$3,184

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoSan Antonio
Fire Protection
$10,754
$396
Highways & Roads
$930
$158
Education
$0
$23
Public Welfare
$1,858
$1,188
Health
$426
$293
Hospitals
$1,444
$993
Parks & Recreation
$122
$1,045
Housing
$6,520
$3,570
Sewerage
$129
$100
Utilities
$2,983
$3,826
Other
$9,385
$5,352
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
B
San Antonio, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health

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