Philadelphia, PA vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Dallas, TX by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $34,849, a 61% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Dallas, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 57/100 (grade C) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Dallas, TX 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 Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 16% of total revenue in Philadelphia, PA and 22% in Dallas, TX.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 61.5% more per capita than Dallas ($21,423/person difference). Dallas, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $107 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $0 |
| Other | $4,029 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $215 |
| Health | $229 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $0 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $833 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $30,692 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.