Portland, OR vs Jacksonville, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL spends 33% more per resident than Portland, OR: $31,456 against $23,675. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Portland, OR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Portland, OR carries the lighter load at $1,574 per resident versus $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477 per resident, while Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 14% in Jacksonville, FL.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 24.7% more per capita than Portland ($7,782/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $233 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $762 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $7,348 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $2,119 |
| Other | $7,916 | $4,705 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $18 |
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $9,436 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $486 |
| Health | $0 | $332 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $557 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $1,329 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $5,572 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $176 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $1,835 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,942 |
| Other | $6,689 | $9,771 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.