Fresno, CA vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA spends 26% more per resident than Chicago, IL: $43,387 against $34,551. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Chicago, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fresno, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Chicago, IL carries $977 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942 per resident, while Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Fresno, CA at 19% of total revenue, whereas Chicago, IL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Fresno spends 25.6% more per capita than Chicago ($8,836/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $337 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $19 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $501 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | -$4,470 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $11 | $2,847 |
| Other | $2,070 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,261 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $568 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $930 |
| Education | $3,942 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,946 | $1,858 |
| Health | $599 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $76 | $122 |
| Housing | $2,856 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $129 |
| Utilities | $15,340 | $2,983 |
| Interest on Debt | $255 | $0 |
| Other | $14,545 | $9,385 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.