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

Harrisburg, PA vs Lancaster, PA

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

Summary

Lancaster spends 99.9% more per capita than Harrisburg ($51,278/person difference). Harrisburg, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Harrisburg, PA
Pop. 50,055
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Lancaster, PA
Pop. 57,970
C
51/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Harrisburg
Lancaster
Total Spending
$3.7M
$3.0B
Spending / Capita
$73
$51,351
Total Revenue
$301.0M
$1.4B
Revenue / Capita
$6,013
$24,786
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
50,055
57,970
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Harrisburg$0
Lancaster$5,263
Fire Protection
Harrisburg$0
Lancaster$4,067
Highways & Roads
Harrisburg$0
Lancaster$500
Parks & Recreation
Harrisburg$0
Lancaster$278
Health
Harrisburg$0
Lancaster$417

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HarrisburgLancaster
Sales Tax
$0
$72
Intergovernmental
-$1,698
$24,786
Other
$0
$4,613

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HarrisburgLancaster
Police
$0
$5,263
Fire Protection
$0
$4,067
Highways & Roads
$0
$500
Public Welfare
$0
$24
Health
$0
$417
Hospitals
$73
$6,387
Parks & Recreation
$0
$278
Housing
$0
$2,619
Utilities
$0
$7,457
Interest on Debt
$0
$76
Other
$0
$24,262
A
Harrisburg, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Lancaster, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities