Elgin, IL vs Joliet, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Joliet, IL spends 31% more per resident than Elgin, IL: $18,675 against $14,229. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Elgin, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 58/100 (grade C) against 40/100 (grade D) for Joliet, IL — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Elgin, IL carries the lighter load at $617 per resident versus $4,260 for Joliet, IL. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Elgin, IL at $1,641 per resident and in Joliet, IL at $459.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Elgin, IL at 43% of total revenue, whereas Joliet, IL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 92%.
Summary
Joliet spends 23.8% more per capita than Elgin ($4,445/person difference). Elgin, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $754 | $323 |
| Income Tax | $651 | $1,006 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,170 | $12,066 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,267 | $2,156 |
| Other | $1,754 | $3,429 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $222 | $208 |
| Highways & Roads | $116 | $165 |
| Education | $53 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $718 | $2,118 |
| Health | $0 | $450 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $485 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,641 | $459 |
| Housing | $4,472 | $3,292 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $94 |
| Utilities | $2,850 | $3,400 |
| Other | $4,159 | $8,005 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.