Dallas, TX vs Portland, OR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX spends 47% more per resident than Portland, OR: $34,849 against $23,675. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Portland, OR edges Dallas, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 57/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Dallas, TX reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Portland, OR carries $1,574 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519 per resident, while Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 22% of total revenue in Dallas, TX and 19% in Portland, OR.
Summary
Dallas spends 47.2% more per capita than Portland ($11,175/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $9 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $25 | $1,695 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $130 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,223 | $8,979 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,883 |
| Other | $584 | $7,916 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,519 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $305 | $1,700 |
| Highways & Roads | $201 | $139 |
| Education | $62 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $215 | $3,607 |
| Hospitals | $385 | $2,893 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $2,477 |
| Housing | $444 | $3,694 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $630 |
| Utilities | $833 | $1,845 |
| General Admin | $25,827 | $0 |
| Other | $5,059 | $6,689 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.