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

Portland, OR vs Los Angeles, CA

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

Summary

Los Angeles spends 72.3% more per capita than Portland ($61,758/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Los Angeles, CA
Pop. 3,881,041
D
47/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity65
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Portland
Los Angeles
Total Spending
$15.3B
$331.6B
Spending / Capita
$23,675
$85,432
Total Revenue
$31.0B
$68.3B
Revenue / Capita
$47,970
$17,595
Total Debt
$1.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,574
$0
Population
646,101
3,881,041
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Portland$0
Los Angeles$4,111
Fire Protection
Portland$1,700
Los Angeles$1,057
Highways & Roads
Portland$139
Los Angeles$503
Parks & Recreation
Portland$2,477
Los Angeles$1,347
Education
Portland$0
Los Angeles$829
Health
Portland$0
Los Angeles$409

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandLos Angeles
Property Tax
$0
$64
Sales Tax
$1,695
$77
Income Tax
$130
$307
Intergovernmental
$8,979
$134
Charges & Fees
$3,883
$459
Other
$7,916
$9,048

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandLos Angeles
Police
$0
$4,111
Fire Protection
$1,700
$1,057
Highways & Roads
$139
$503
Education
$0
$829
Public Welfare
$3,607
$1,286
Health
$0
$409
Hospitals
$2,893
$2,135
Parks & Recreation
$2,477
$1,347
Housing
$3,694
$6,325
Sewerage
$630
$34
Utilities
$1,845
$21,992
Interest on Debt
$0
$630
General Admin
$0
$11,586
Other
$6,689
$33,189
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
D
Los Angeles, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

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