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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Peoria, IL vs Chicago, IL

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Chicago, IL outspends Peoria, IL by a wide margin per resident — $34,551 versus $7,629, a 353% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Peoria, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for Chicago, 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 Chicago, IL carries $977 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Peoria, IL leads with police at $1,088 per resident, while Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Peoria, IL and 100% in Chicago, IL.

Summary

Chicago spends 77.9% more per capita than Peoria ($26,922/person difference). Peoria, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Peoria, IL
Pop. 113,054
B
74/100
Budget Balance43
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity77
Trend Direction50
City B
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Peoria
Chicago
Total Spending
$862.5M
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$7,629
$34,551
Total Revenue
$598.6M
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$5,295
$85,083
Total Debt
$0
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$977
Population
113,054
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Peoria$1,088
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
Peoria$129
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Peoria$200
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Peoria$0
Chicago$122
Health
Peoria$0
Chicago$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PeoriaChicago
Property Tax
$0
$26
Sales Tax
$20
$74
Income Tax
$18
$229
Intergovernmental
$1,954
$85,083
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,847
Other
$1,543
$3,463

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PeoriaChicago
Police
$1,088
$0
Fire Protection
$129
$10,754
Highways & Roads
$200
$930
Public Welfare
$1,314
$1,858
Health
$0
$426
Hospitals
$0
$1,444
Parks & Recreation
$0
$122
Housing
$787
$6,520
Sewerage
$64
$129
Utilities
$171
$2,983
Other
$3,876
$9,385
B
Peoria, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 74/100
Good fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.