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

Portland, OR vs Tulsa, OK

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Portland, OR outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $23,675 versus $5,250, a 351% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Portland, OR edges Tulsa, OK on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 63/100 (grade C) to 56/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Tulsa, OK reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Portland, OR carries $1,574 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Portland, OR leads with parks and recreation at $2,477 per resident, while Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762.

Summary

Portland spends 350.9% more per capita than Tulsa ($18,424/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
Tulsa, OK
Pop. 411,938
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Portland
Tulsa
Total Spending
$15.3B
$2.2B
Spending / Capita
$23,675
$5,250
Total Revenue
$31.0B
$0
Revenue / Capita
$47,970
$0
Total Debt
$1.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,574
$0
Population
646,101
411,938
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Portland$0
Tulsa$628
Fire Protection
Portland$1,700
Tulsa$196
Highways & Roads
Portland$139
Tulsa$257
Parks & Recreation
Portland$2,477
Tulsa$154
Health
Portland$0
Tulsa$762

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandTulsa
Sales Tax
$1,695
$97
Income Tax
$130
$0
Intergovernmental
$8,979
$0
Charges & Fees
$3,883
$0
Other
$7,916
$53

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandTulsa
Police
$0
$628
Fire Protection
$1,700
$196
Highways & Roads
$139
$257
Public Welfare
$3,607
$86
Health
$0
$762
Hospitals
$2,893
$0
Parks & Recreation
$2,477
$154
Housing
$3,694
$350
Sewerage
$630
$27
Utilities
$1,845
$41
Other
$6,689
$2,748
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Tulsa, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.