Oklahoma City, OK vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Oklahoma City, OK by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $18,074, a 211% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Oklahoma City, OK holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Philadelphia, PA carries the lighter load at $1,069 per resident versus $3,520 for Oklahoma City, OK. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oklahoma City, OK leads with parks and recreation at $2,014 per resident, while Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Oklahoma City, OK and 16% in Philadelphia, PA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 67.9% more per capita than Oklahoma City ($38,198/person difference). Oklahoma City, OK has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $763 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $1,037 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,852 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,256 | $2,790 |
| Other | $1,836 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $513 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $1,525 | $1,456 |
| Health | $5 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $2,044 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,014 | $593 |
| Housing | $2,857 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $325 |
| Utilities | $4,523 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $707 | $3 |
| Other | $3,886 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.