Harrisburg, PA vs Scranton, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Scranton, PA outspends Harrisburg, PA by a wide margin per resident — $10,446 versus $73, a 14217% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Harrisburg, PA edges Scranton, PA on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 90/100 (grade A) to 83/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them.
Summary
Scranton spends 99.3% more per capita than Harrisburg ($10,373/person difference). Harrisburg, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $28 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $3 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,114 |
| Intergovernmental | -$1,698 | $114 |
| Other | $0 | $47 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $1,029 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $156 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $115 |
| Health | $0 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $73 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $130 |
| Housing | $0 | $3,373 |
| Utilities | $0 | $668 |
| Other | $0 | $4,564 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.