Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fresno, CA vs Chicago, IL

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

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

City A
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fresno
Chicago
Total Spending
$23.5B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$34,551
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$85,083
Total Debt
$0
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$977
Population
541,528
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Fresno$0
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
Chicago$122
Education
Fresno$3,942
Chicago$0
Health
Fresno$599
Chicago$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoChicago
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)

FresnoChicago
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
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities