Memphis, TN vs Oklahoma City, OK
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Memphis, TN spends 22% more per resident than Oklahoma City, OK: $22,111 against $18,074. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Memphis, TN and Oklahoma City, OK both land at 65/100 (grade B and B respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
On debt, Memphis, TN carries the lighter load at $303 per resident versus $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Memphis, TN at $1,397 per resident and in Oklahoma City, OK at $2,014.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Memphis, TN and 19% in Oklahoma City, OK.
Summary
Memphis spends 22.3% more per capita than Oklahoma City ($4,037/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $496 | $763 |
| Income Tax | $1,218 | $1,037 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,065 | $6,852 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,077 | $3,256 |
| Other | $3,994 | $1,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $469 | $513 |
| Highways & Roads | $277 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $630 | $1,525 |
| Health | $391 | $5 |
| Hospitals | $1,677 | $2,044 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,397 | $2,014 |
| Housing | $4,683 | $2,857 |
| Utilities | $2,578 | $4,523 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,158 | $707 |
| Other | $8,850 | $3,886 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.