Philadelphia, PA vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Philadelphia spends 62.9% more per capita than Chicago ($21,721/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
45/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden53
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Philadelphia
Chicago
Total Spending
$89.7B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$56,272
$34,551
Total Revenue
$64.4B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$40,425
$85,083
Total Debt
$1.7B
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$1,069
$977
Population
1,593,208
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Philadelphia$1,505
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
Philadelphia$7,082
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Philadelphia$1,215
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia$593
Chicago$122
Health
Philadelphia$229
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
PhiladelphiaChicago
| Property Tax | $0 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $107 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $2,847 |
| Other | $4,029 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
PhiladelphiaChicago
| Police | $1,505 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $930 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $1,858 |
| Health | $229 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $122 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $129 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $2,983 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $9,385 |
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health