Wichita, KS vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $7,986, a 605% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 45-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 per resident versus $1,069 for Philadelphia, PA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874 per resident, while Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Wichita, KS and 16% in Philadelphia, PA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 85.8% more per capita than Wichita ($48,286/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $246 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $57 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,895 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,193 | $2,790 |
| Other | $2,783 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $152 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $126 | $1,215 |
| Education | $2 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $441 | $1,456 |
| Health | $254 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $874 | $593 |
| Housing | $2,618 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $325 |
| Utilities | $1,225 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $70 | $3 |
| Other | $2,111 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.