Philadelphia, PA vs Fresno, CA

Philadelphia, PA spends 30% more per resident than Fresno, CA: $56,272 against $43,387. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Fresno, CA edges Philadelphia, PA on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 50/100 (grade C) to 45/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Fresno, CA 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 Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Philadelphia, PA at 16% of total revenue, whereas Fresno, CA relies most on other revenue at 19%.