Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Philadelphia, PA vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

Philadelphia spends 81.0% more per capita than Detroit ($25,185/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

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
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Philadelphia
Detroit
Total Spending
$89.7B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$56,272
$31,087
Total Revenue
$64.4B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$40,425
$44,533
Total Debt
$1.7B
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$1,069
$776
Population
1,593,208
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Philadelphia$1,505
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
Philadelphia$7,082
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Philadelphia$1,215
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia$593
Detroit$950
Health
Philadelphia$229
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhiladelphiaDetroit
Property Tax
$0
$44
Sales Tax
$107
$200
Income Tax
$8
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$6,288
$291
Charges & Fees
$2,790
$2,228
Other
$4,029
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhiladelphiaDetroit
Police
$1,505
$0
Fire Protection
$7,082
$2,429
Highways & Roads
$1,215
$0
Public Welfare
$1,456
$833
Health
$229
$396
Hospitals
$4,048
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$593
$950
Housing
$4,902
$5,791
Sewerage
$325
$451
Utilities
$4,222
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$3
$2,068
Other
$30,692
$13,216
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities