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

Philadelphia, PA vs Memphis, TN

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

Summary

Philadelphia spends 154.5% more per capita than Memphis ($34,161/person difference). Memphis, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).

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
Memphis, TN
Pop. 630,027
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Philadelphia
Memphis
Total Spending
$89.7B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$56,272
$22,111
Total Revenue
$64.4B
$21.5B
Revenue / Capita
$40,425
$34,065
Total Debt
$1.7B
$191.2M
Debt / Capita
$1,069
$303
Population
1,593,208
630,027
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Philadelphia$1,505
Memphis$0
Fire Protection
Philadelphia$7,082
Memphis$469
Highways & Roads
Philadelphia$1,215
Memphis$277
Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia$593
Memphis$1,397
Health
Philadelphia$229
Memphis$391

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhiladelphiaMemphis
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$107
$496
Income Tax
$8
$1,218
Intergovernmental
$6,288
$34,065
Charges & Fees
$2,790
$2,077
Other
$4,029
$3,994

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhiladelphiaMemphis
Police
$1,505
$0
Fire Protection
$7,082
$469
Highways & Roads
$1,215
$277
Public Welfare
$1,456
$630
Health
$229
$391
Hospitals
$4,048
$1,677
Parks & Recreation
$593
$1,397
Housing
$4,902
$4,683
Sewerage
$325
$0
Utilities
$4,222
$2,578
Interest on Debt
$3
$1,158
Other
$30,692
$8,850
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities