Philadelphia, PA vs Fort Worth, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Fort Worth, TX by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $15,939, a 253% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Fort Worth, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Philadelphia, PA carries the lighter load at $1,069 per resident versus $1,921 for Fort Worth, TX. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 per resident, while Fort Worth, TX leads with parks and recreation at $708.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 16% of total revenue in Philadelphia, PA and 15% in Fort Worth, TX.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 253.0% more per capita than Fort Worth ($40,333/person difference). Fort Worth, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $107 | $198 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $851 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $4,002 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $3,594 |
| Other | $4,029 | $3,439 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $156 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $317 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $869 |
| Health | $229 | $235 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $1,680 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $708 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $4,217 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $267 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $2,674 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $4,817 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.