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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Philadelphia, PA vs Scranton, PA

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

Summary

Philadelphia spends 438.7% more per capita than Scranton ($45,826/person difference). Scranton, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

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
Scranton, PA
Pop. 76,119
A
83/100
Budget Balance73
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Philadelphia
Scranton
Total Spending
$89.7B
$795.1M
Spending / Capita
$56,272
$10,446
Total Revenue
$64.4B
$779.9M
Revenue / Capita
$40,425
$10,245
Total Debt
$1.7B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,069
$0
Population
1,593,208
76,119
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Philadelphia$1,505
Scranton$0
Fire Protection
Philadelphia$7,082
Scranton$1,029
Highways & Roads
Philadelphia$1,215
Scranton$156
Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia$593
Scranton$130
Health
Philadelphia$229
Scranton$411

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhiladelphiaScranton
Property Tax
$0
$28
Sales Tax
$107
$3
Income Tax
$8
$1,114
Intergovernmental
$6,288
$114
Charges & Fees
$2,790
$0
Other
$4,029
$47

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhiladelphiaScranton
Police
$1,505
$0
Fire Protection
$7,082
$1,029
Highways & Roads
$1,215
$156
Public Welfare
$1,456
$115
Health
$229
$411
Hospitals
$4,048
$0
Parks & Recreation
$593
$130
Housing
$4,902
$3,373
Sewerage
$325
$0
Utilities
$4,222
$668
Interest on Debt
$3
$0
Other
$30,692
$4,564
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health
A
Scranton, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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