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

Philadelphia, PA vs Charlotte, NC

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

Summary

Philadelphia spends 254.9% more per capita than Charlotte ($40,418/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Philadelphia, PA
Pop. 1,593,208
D
45/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden53
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Philadelphia
Charlotte
Total Spending
$89.7B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$56,272
$15,854
Total Revenue
$64.4B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$40,425
$49,746
Total Debt
$1.7B
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$1,069
$2,690
Population
1,593,208
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Philadelphia$1,505
Charlotte$0
Fire Protection
Philadelphia$7,082
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Philadelphia$1,215
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia$593
Charlotte$1,571
Health
Philadelphia$229
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhiladelphiaCharlotte
Sales Tax
$107
$541
Income Tax
$8
$366
Intergovernmental
$6,288
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$2,790
$2,459
Other
$4,029
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhiladelphiaCharlotte
Police
$1,505
$0
Fire Protection
$7,082
$463
Highways & Roads
$1,215
$41
Public Welfare
$1,456
$672
Health
$229
$0
Hospitals
$4,048
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$593
$1,571
Housing
$4,902
$3,944
Sewerage
$325
$0
Utilities
$4,222
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$3
$2,226
Other
$30,692
$3,448
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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