Pittsburgh, PA vs Erie, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Erie, PA outspends Pittsburgh, PA by a wide margin per resident — $43,394 versus $25,349, a 71% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Pittsburgh, PA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 42/100 (grade D) for Erie, PA — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Pittsburgh, PA leads with fire protection at $784 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 Pittsburgh, PA at 14% of total revenue, whereas Erie, PA relies most on other revenue at 200%.
Summary
Erie spends 41.6% more per capita than Pittsburgh ($18,044/person difference). Pittsburgh, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $35 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $201 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $31 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,136 | $3,241 |
| Other | $1,184 | $6,483 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,410 |
| Fire Protection | $784 | $534 |
| Highways & Roads | $605 | $1,399 |
| Public Welfare | $4,568 | $61 |
| Health | $0 | $788 |
| Hospitals | $214 | $403 |
| Parks & Recreation | $399 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,276 | $0 |
| Sewerage | $248 | $76 |
| Utilities | $690 | $21,061 |
| Other | $13,566 | $15,662 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.