Philadelphia, PA vs Baltimore, MD

Baltimore, MD spends 21% more per resident than Philadelphia, PA: $67,935 against $56,272. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Baltimore, MD holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 70/100 (grade B) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 25-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Baltimore, MD reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 per resident, while Baltimore, MD leads with education at $35,510.

On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 16% of total revenue in Philadelphia, PA and 7% in Baltimore, MD.