Peoria, IL vs Aurora, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Aurora, IL outspends Peoria, IL by a wide margin per resident — $15,301 versus $7,629, a 101% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Aurora, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 74/100 (grade B) for Peoria, IL — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Peoria, IL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Aurora, IL carries $489 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Peoria, IL leads with police at $1,088 per resident, while Aurora, IL leads with parks and recreation at $494.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Peoria, IL and 5% in Aurora, IL.
Summary
Aurora spends 50.1% more per capita than Peoria ($7,672/person difference). Aurora, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $20 | $114 |
| Income Tax | $18 | $144 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,954 | $2,481 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,224 |
| Other | $1,543 | $1,114 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,088 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $129 | $216 |
| Highways & Roads | $200 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,314 | $922 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $257 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $494 |
| Housing | $787 | $4,836 |
| Sewerage | $64 | $0 |
| Utilities | $171 | $2,366 |
| Other | $3,876 | $6,210 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.