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

Portland, OR vs Washington, DC

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

Summary

Washington spends 90.3% more per capita than Portland ($219,666/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
Washington, DC
Pop. 670,587
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Portland
Washington
Total Spending
$15.3B
$163.2B
Spending / Capita
$23,675
$243,341
Total Revenue
$31.0B
$186.2B
Revenue / Capita
$47,970
$277,701
Total Debt
$1.0B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$1,574
$2,516
Population
646,101
670,587
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Portland$0
Washington$4,183
Fire Protection
Portland$1,700
Washington$4,262
Highways & Roads
Portland$139
Washington$1,435
Parks & Recreation
Portland$2,477
Washington$5,459
Education
Portland$0
Washington$53,224
Health
Portland$0
Washington$1,009

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandWashington
Property Tax
$0
$25
Sales Tax
$1,695
$991
Income Tax
$130
$141
Intergovernmental
$8,979
$18,754
Charges & Fees
$3,883
$4,070
Other
$7,916
$11,518

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PortlandWashington
Police
$0
$4,183
Fire Protection
$1,700
$4,262
Highways & Roads
$139
$1,435
Education
$0
$53,224
Public Welfare
$3,607
$2,498
Health
$0
$1,009
Hospitals
$2,893
$17,668
Parks & Recreation
$2,477
$5,459
Housing
$3,694
$10,296
Sewerage
$630
$2,881
Utilities
$1,845
$88,990
Interest on Debt
$0
$58
General Admin
$0
$3,225
Other
$6,689
$48,155
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health

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