Washington, DC vs Chicago, IL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Washington spends 604.3% more per capita than Chicago ($208,789/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Washington
Chicago
Total Spending
$163.2B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$243,341
$34,551
Total Revenue
$186.2B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$277,701
$85,083
Total Debt
$1.7B
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$2,516
$977
Population
670,587
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Washington$4,183
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
Washington$4,262
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
Washington$1,435
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
Washington$5,459
Chicago$122
Education
Washington$53,224
Chicago$0
Health
Washington$1,009
Chicago$426
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
WashingtonChicago
| Property Tax | $25 | $26 |
| Sales Tax | $991 | $74 |
| Income Tax | $141 | $229 |
| Intergovernmental | $18,754 | $85,083 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,070 | $2,847 |
| Other | $11,518 | $3,463 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
WashingtonChicago
| Police | $4,183 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $4,262 | $10,754 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,435 | $930 |
| Education | $53,224 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,498 | $1,858 |
| Health | $1,009 | $426 |
| Hospitals | $17,668 | $1,444 |
| Parks & Recreation | $5,459 | $122 |
| Housing | $10,296 | $6,520 |
| Sewerage | $2,881 | $129 |
| Utilities | $88,990 | $2,983 |
| Interest on Debt | $58 | $0 |
| General Admin | $3,225 | $0 |
| Other | $48,155 | $9,385 |
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health