Portland, OR vs San Antonio, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Portland, OR spends 40% more per resident than San Antonio, TX: $23,675 against $16,943. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Antonio, TX edges Portland, OR on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 68/100 (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, Portland, OR carries the lighter load at $1,574 per resident versus $2,131 for San Antonio, TX. 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 San Antonio, TX at $1,045.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 19% of total revenue in Portland, OR and 17% in San Antonio, TX.
Summary
Portland spends 39.7% more per capita than San Antonio ($6,732/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $1,695 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $1,000 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $14,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $4,025 |
| Other | $7,916 | $3,184 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $396 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $158 |
| Education | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $1,188 |
| Health | $0 | $293 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $993 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $1,045 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $3,570 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $100 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $3,826 |
| Other | $6,689 | $5,352 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.