Salem, OR vs Medford, OR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Salem, OR spends 30% more per resident than Medford, OR: $15,959 against $12,307. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Medford, OR edges Salem, OR on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 68/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Salem, OR carries the lighter load at $1,019 per resident versus $2,887 for Medford, OR. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Salem, OR at $899 per resident and in Medford, OR at $822.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Salem, OR at 12% of total revenue, whereas Medford, OR relies most on other revenue at 16%.
Summary
Salem spends 29.7% more per capita than Medford ($3,652/person difference). Medford, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $29 | $17 |
| Sales Tax | $301 | $241 |
| Intergovernmental | $5,706 | $1,848 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,510 | $2,768 |
| Other | $5,114 | $3,119 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $185 | $267 |
| Highways & Roads | $285 | $322 |
| Public Welfare | $1,100 | $1,096 |
| Health | $311 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,834 | $311 |
| Parks & Recreation | $899 | $822 |
| Housing | $3,037 | $3,358 |
| Sewerage | $317 | $232 |
| Utilities | $1,581 | $1,690 |
| Other | $5,409 | $4,209 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.