Elgin, IL vs Peoria, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Elgin, IL outspends Peoria, IL by a wide margin per resident — $14,229 versus $7,629, a 87% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Peoria, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 58/100 (grade C) for Elgin, IL — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Peoria, IL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Elgin, IL carries $617 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Elgin, IL leads with parks and recreation at $1,641 per resident, while Peoria, IL leads with police at $1,088.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Elgin, IL at 43% of total revenue, whereas Peoria, IL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 37%.
Summary
Elgin spends 86.5% more per capita than Peoria ($6,601/person difference). Peoria, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $754 | $20 |
| Income Tax | $651 | $18 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,170 | $1,954 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,267 | $0 |
| Other | $1,754 | $1,543 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,088 |
| Fire Protection | $222 | $129 |
| Highways & Roads | $116 | $200 |
| Education | $53 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $718 | $1,314 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,641 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,472 | $787 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $64 |
| Utilities | $2,850 | $171 |
| Other | $4,159 | $3,876 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.