Chicago, IL vs Washington, DC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Washington spends 85.8% more per capita than Chicago ($208,789/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
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Chicago
Washington
Total Spending
$94.0B
$163.2B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$243,341
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$186.2B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$277,701
Total Debt
$2.7B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$977
$2,516
Population
2,721,914
670,587
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Chicago$0
Washington$4,183
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
Washington$4,262
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
Washington$1,435
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
Washington$5,459
Education
Chicago$0
Washington$53,224
Health
Chicago$426
Washington$1,009
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoWashington
| Property Tax | $26 | $25 |
| Sales Tax | $74 | $991 |
| Income Tax | $229 | $141 |
| Intergovernmental | $85,083 | $18,754 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,847 | $4,070 |
| Other | $3,463 | $11,518 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ChicagoWashington
| Police | $0 | $4,183 |
| Fire Protection | $10,754 | $4,262 |
| Highways & Roads | $930 | $1,435 |
| Education | $0 | $53,224 |
| Public Welfare | $1,858 | $2,498 |
| Health | $426 | $1,009 |
| Hospitals | $1,444 | $17,668 |
| Parks & Recreation | $122 | $5,459 |
| Housing | $6,520 | $10,296 |
| Sewerage | $129 | $2,881 |
| Utilities | $2,983 | $88,990 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $58 |
| General Admin | $0 | $3,225 |
| Other | $9,385 | $48,155 |
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health