Portland, OR vs New York, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
New York, NY outspends Portland, OR by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $23,675, a 445% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
New York, NY edges Portland, OR on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 64/100 (grade C) to 63/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, New York, NY carries the lighter load at $462 per resident versus $1,574 for Portland, OR. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477 per resident, while New York, NY leads with education at $37,892.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 14% in New York, NY.
Summary
New York spends 81.7% more per capita than Portland ($105,445/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $399 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $19 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $20,520 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $1,835 |
| Other | $7,916 | $3,593 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,512 |
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $11,050 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $221 |
| Education | $0 | $37,892 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $1,116 |
| Health | $0 | $417 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $6,467 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $868 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $7,137 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $315 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $13,371 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $11,706 |
| General Admin | $0 | $11,668 |
| Other | $6,689 | $25,380 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.