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

Salem, OR vs Gresham, OR

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

Summary

Salem spends 47.2% more per capita than Gresham ($5,119/person difference). Salem, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Salem, OR
Pop. 175,754
B
68/100
Budget Balance77
Debt Burden28
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency85
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Gresham, OR
Pop. 113,525
D
46/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden33
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Salem
Gresham
Total Spending
$2.8B
$1.2B
Spending / Capita
$15,959
$10,840
Total Revenue
$8.4B
$555.5M
Revenue / Capita
$47,891
$4,893
Total Debt
$179.1M
$111.1M
Debt / Capita
$1,019
$978
Population
175,754
113,525
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Salem$185
Gresham$459
Highways & Roads
Salem$285
Gresham$184
Parks & Recreation
Salem$899
Gresham$285
Health
Salem$311
Gresham$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SalemGresham
Property Tax
$29
$28
Sales Tax
$301
$5
Income Tax
$0
$69
Intergovernmental
$5,706
$4,893
Charges & Fees
$2,510
$1,652
Other
$5,114
$3,781

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SalemGresham
Fire Protection
$185
$459
Highways & Roads
$285
$184
Public Welfare
$1,100
$944
Health
$311
$0
Hospitals
$2,834
$662
Parks & Recreation
$899
$285
Housing
$3,037
$2,587
Sewerage
$317
$57
Utilities
$1,581
$1,126
Other
$5,409
$4,537
B
Salem, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health
D
Gresham, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 46/100
Below average fiscal health

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