Detroit, MI vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 10.0% more per capita than Detroit ($3,464/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Detroit
Chicago
Total Spending
$19.8B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$34,551
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$85,083
Total Debt
$493.9M
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$776
$977
Population
636,787
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Chicago$122
Health
Detroit$396
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitChicago
| Property Tax | $44 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $200 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $1,045 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $291 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,228 | $2,847 |
| Other | $6,892 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
DetroitChicago
| Fire Protection | $2,429 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $930 |
| Public Welfare | $833 | $1,858 |
| Health | $396 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $2,217 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $122 |
| Housing | $5,791 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $451 | $129 |
| Utilities | $2,737 | $2,983 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $0 |
| Other | $13,216 | $9,385 |
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health