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

Chicago, IL vs San Jose, CA

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

Summary

Chicago spends 92.7% more per capita than San Jose ($16,617/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

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 Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
San Jose
Total Spending
$94.0B
$18.0B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$17,934
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$38.1B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$38,091
Total Debt
$2.7B
$0
Debt / Capita
$977
$0
Population
2,721,914
1,001,176
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
San Jose$0
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
San Jose$0
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
San Jose$1,424
Health
Chicago$426
San Jose$609

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoSan Jose
Property Tax
$26
$40
Sales Tax
$74
$315
Income Tax
$229
$1,935
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$2,680
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$608
Other
$3,463
$3,519

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoSan Jose
Fire Protection
$10,754
$0
Highways & Roads
$930
$0
Public Welfare
$1,858
$810
Health
$426
$609
Hospitals
$1,444
$1,254
Parks & Recreation
$122
$1,424
Housing
$6,520
$4,897
Sewerage
$129
$161
Utilities
$2,983
$2,533
Other
$9,385
$6,247
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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