Portland, OR vs Phoenix, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Portland, OR spends 50% more per resident than Phoenix, AZ: $23,675 against $15,793. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Phoenix, AZ edges Portland, OR on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 67/100 (grade B) 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, Phoenix, AZ carries the lighter load at $1,156 per resident versus $1,574 for Portland, OR. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Portland, OR at $2,477 per resident and in Phoenix, AZ at $652.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 100% in Phoenix, AZ.
Summary
Portland spends 49.9% more per capita than Phoenix ($7,882/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $7 |
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $338 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $1,260 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $50,709 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $2,998 |
| Other | $7,916 | $2,038 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $170 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $86 |
| Education | $0 | $214 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $507 |
| Health | $0 | $258 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $1,521 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $652 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $3,879 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $388 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $2,480 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,760 |
| Other | $6,689 | $3,878 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.