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

Tulsa, OK vs Norman, OK

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Norman, OK outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $55,648 versus $5,250, a 960% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Tulsa, OK holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 56/100 (grade C) against 42/100 (grade D) for Norman, OK — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Tulsa, OK reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Norman, OK carries $781 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762 per resident, while Norman, OK leads with parks and recreation at $1,197.

Summary

Norman spends 90.6% more per capita than Tulsa ($50,398/person difference). Tulsa, OK has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Tulsa, OK
Pop. 411,938
C
56/100
Budget Balance4
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Norman, OK
Pop. 127,701
D
42/100
Budget Balance1
Debt Burden56
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Tulsa
Norman
Total Spending
$2.2B
$7.1B
Spending / Capita
$5,250
$55,648
Total Revenue
$0
$5.1B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$40,091
Total Debt
$0
$99.7M
Debt / Capita
$0
$781
Population
411,938
127,701
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Tulsa$628
Norman$0
Fire Protection
Tulsa$196
Norman$258
Highways & Roads
Tulsa$257
Norman$0
Parks & Recreation
Tulsa$154
Norman$1,197
Health
Tulsa$762
Norman$49

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

TulsaNorman
Sales Tax
$97
$383
Income Tax
$0
$2,695
Intergovernmental
$0
$3,093
Charges & Fees
$0
$2,061
Other
$53
$1,341

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

TulsaNorman
Police
$628
$0
Fire Protection
$196
$258
Highways & Roads
$257
$0
Public Welfare
$86
$2,391
Health
$762
$49
Hospitals
$0
$162
Parks & Recreation
$154
$1,197
Housing
$350
$2,662
Sewerage
$27
$139
Utilities
$41
$2,276
Interest on Debt
$0
$536
General Admin
$0
$42,647
Other
$2,748
$3,331
C
Tulsa, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
D
Norman, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 42/100
Below average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

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