Joliet, IL vs Naperville, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Joliet, IL spends 19% more per resident than Naperville, IL: $18,675 against $15,751. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Naperville, IL edges Joliet, IL on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 45/100 (grade D) to 40/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Naperville, IL carries the lighter load at $1,028 per resident versus $4,260 for Joliet, IL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Joliet, IL leads with parks and recreation at $459 per resident, while Naperville, IL leads with health at $1,028.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Joliet, IL at 92% of total revenue, whereas Naperville, IL relies most on charges and fees at 68%.
Summary
Joliet spends 18.6% more per capita than Naperville ($2,924/person difference). Naperville, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 45/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $323 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $1,006 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $12,066 | $458 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,156 | $4,765 |
| Other | $3,429 | $2,388 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $208 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $165 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,118 | $0 |
| Health | $450 | $1,028 |
| Hospitals | $485 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $459 | $544 |
| Housing | $3,292 | $0 |
| Sewerage | $94 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,400 | $4,527 |
| Other | $8,005 | $9,652 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.