Portland, OR vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Portland, OR by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $23,675, a 138% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Portland, OR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Philadelphia, PA carries the lighter load at $1,069 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 Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 16% in Philadelphia, PA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 57.9% more per capita than Portland ($32,597/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)
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $2,790 |
| Other | $7,916 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $1,456 |
| Health | $0 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $593 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $325 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $6,689 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.