Peoria, IL vs Elgin, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Elgin, IL outspends Peoria, IL by a wide margin per resident — $14,229 versus $7,629, a 87% 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 58/100 (grade C) for Elgin, IL — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Peoria, IL reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Elgin, IL carries $617 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Peoria, IL leads with police at $1,088 per resident, while Elgin, IL leads with parks and recreation at $1,641.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Peoria, IL at 37% of total revenue, whereas Elgin, IL relies most on charges and fees at 43%.
Summary
Elgin spends 46.4% more per capita than Peoria ($6,601/person difference). Peoria, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $20 | $754 |
| Income Tax | $18 | $651 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,954 | $1,170 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,267 |
| Other | $1,543 | $1,754 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,088 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $129 | $222 |
| Highways & Roads | $200 | $116 |
| Education | $0 | $53 |
| Public Welfare | $1,314 | $718 |
| Parks & Recreation | $0 | $1,641 |
| Housing | $787 | $4,472 |
| Sewerage | $64 | $0 |
| Utilities | $171 | $2,850 |
| Other | $3,876 | $4,159 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.