Jacksonville, FL vs Portland, OR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL spends 33% more per resident than Portland, OR: $31,456 against $23,675. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Portland, OR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Portland, OR carries the lighter load at $1,574 per resident versus $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Jacksonville, FL and 19% in Portland, OR.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 32.9% more per capita than Portland ($7,782/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $1,695 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $130 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $8,979 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $3,883 |
| Other | $4,705 | $7,916 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $1,700 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $139 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $3,607 |
| Health | $332 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $2,893 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $2,477 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $3,694 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $630 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $1,845 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| Other | $9,771 | $6,689 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.