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

Detroit, MI vs Portland, OR

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

Summary

Detroit spends 31.3% more per capita than Portland ($7,413/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Portland
Total Spending
$19.8B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$23,675
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$47,970
Total Debt
$493.9M
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$776
$1,574
Population
636,787
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Portland$2,477
Health
Detroit$396
Portland$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitPortland
Property Tax
$44
$0
Sales Tax
$200
$1,695
Income Tax
$1,045
$130
Intergovernmental
$291
$8,979
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$3,883
Other
$6,892
$7,916

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitPortland
Fire Protection
$2,429
$1,700
Highways & Roads
$0
$139
Public Welfare
$833
$3,607
Health
$396
$0
Hospitals
$2,217
$2,893
Parks & Recreation
$950
$2,477
Housing
$5,791
$3,694
Sewerage
$451
$630
Utilities
$2,737
$1,845
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$6,689
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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