Philadelphia, PA vs Erie, PA

Philadelphia, PA spends 30% more per resident than Erie, PA: $56,272 against $43,394. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Philadelphia, PA edges Erie, PA on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 45/100 (grade D) to 42/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Erie, PA 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 Erie, PA leads with police at $3,410.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Philadelphia, PA at 16% of total revenue, whereas Erie, PA relies most on other revenue at 200%.