Pittsburgh, PA vs Scranton, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Pittsburgh, PA outspends Scranton, PA by a wide margin per resident — $25,349 versus $10,446, a 143% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Scranton, PA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 69/100 (grade B) for Pittsburgh, PA — a 14-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. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: fire protection leads in Pittsburgh, PA at $784 per resident and in Scranton, PA at $1,029.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Pittsburgh, PA at 14% of total revenue, whereas Scranton, PA relies most on income tax at 11%.
Summary
Pittsburgh spends 142.7% more per capita than Scranton ($14,903/person difference). Scranton, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $35 | $28 |
| Sales Tax | $201 | $3 |
| Income Tax | $31 | $1,114 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,136 | $114 |
| Other | $1,184 | $47 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $784 | $1,029 |
| Highways & Roads | $605 | $156 |
| Public Welfare | $4,568 | $115 |
| Health | $0 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $214 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $399 | $130 |
| Housing | $4,276 | $3,373 |
| Sewerage | $248 | $0 |
| Utilities | $690 | $668 |
| Other | $13,566 | $4,564 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.