Memphis, TN vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Chicago spends 36.0% more per capita than Memphis ($12,441/person difference). Memphis, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Memphis
Chicago
Total Spending
$13.9B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$22,111
$34,551
Total Revenue
$21.5B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$34,065
$85,083
Total Debt
$191.2M
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$303
$977
Population
630,027
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Memphis$469
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Memphis$277
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Memphis$1,397
Chicago$122
Health
Memphis$391
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
MemphisChicago
| Property Tax | $10 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $496 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $1,218 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,065 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,077 | $2,847 |
| Other | $3,994 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
MemphisChicago
| Fire Protection | $469 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $277 | $930 |
| Public Welfare | $630 | $1,858 |
| Health | $391 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $1,677 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,397 | $122 |
| Housing | $4,683 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $129 |
| Utilities | $2,578 | $2,983 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,158 | $0 |
| Other | $8,850 | $9,385 |
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health