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

San Antonio, TX vs Chicago, IL

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

Summary

Chicago spends 51.0% more per capita than San Antonio ($17,609/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Antonio, TX
Pop. 1,445,662
B
68/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Antonio
Chicago
Total Spending
$24.5B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$16,943
$34,551
Total Revenue
$124.1B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$85,853
$85,083
Total Debt
$3.1B
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$2,131
$977
Population
1,445,662
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
San Antonio$396
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
San Antonio$158
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
San Antonio$1,045
Chicago$122
Education
San Antonio$23
Chicago$0
Health
San Antonio$293
Chicago$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San AntonioChicago
Property Tax
$9
$26
Sales Tax
$293
$74
Income Tax
$1,000
$229
Intergovernmental
$14,312
$85,083
Charges & Fees
$4,025
$2,847
Other
$3,184
$3,463

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San AntonioChicago
Fire Protection
$396
$10,754
Highways & Roads
$158
$930
Education
$23
$0
Public Welfare
$1,188
$1,858
Health
$293
$426
Hospitals
$993
$1,444
Parks & Recreation
$1,045
$122
Housing
$3,570
$6,520
Sewerage
$100
$129
Utilities
$3,826
$2,983
Other
$5,352
$9,385
B
San Antonio, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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