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Compare places, side by side

Two lenses on the same set of places. Capacity readings are construct-based judgments — a band with its confidence and the evidence behind it, never ranked into a single winner. Structural facts are the comparable hard numbers, with percentiles. Add any number of places to begin.

Add a place, then add its cohort:
Add one or more places above to compare their capacity readings and structural facts. Tip: open a place from the diagnostic and use “compare” to seed this with its structural peers — or expand the full ranking below.
Rank all places on a single ratio

Sort and filter every city and county on any structural ratio. Ranking observable ratios is fair game — only the latent capacity readings above are never ranked into one number.

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RankPlaceBudget / capitaBudget / sq miFTE / 1k residentsTotal budgetPopulationDepartmentsSpend / residentOwn-source shareFederal shareDebt / residentCapital shareInnovation markers
#1
Government of the District of ColumbiaDC · consolidated
$29,494$308.8M50.6$21.0B712,00060$32,70462%33.4%$28,40911%6 / 7
#2
City and County of San FranciscoCA · consolidated
$17,284$297.9M43.2$14.0B810,00050$27,28876%5.5%$31,93312%6 / 7
#3
City of New YorkNY · consolidated
$15,091$416.6M36.0$125.8B8,336,00080$18,48574%9.3%$16,46511%6 / 7
#4
City of PortlandOR · city
$13,444$58.9M12.6$8.54B635,00028$4,07486%6.8%$4,91621%5 / 7
#5
City of Myrtle BeachSC · city
$10,670$14.8M25.0$384.1M36,00012$8,85292%1.3%$7,26315%1 / 7
#6
City of SeattleWA · city
$10,400$54.9M15.3$7.80B750,00030$7,61190%4.0%$7,88918%7 / 7
#7
City of Long BeachCA · city
$8,772$78.4M13.2$4.00B456,00022$5,91681%8.9%$6,93018%6 / 7
#8
City of BaltimoreMD · city
$8,522$53.3M22.6$4.90B575,00030$10,05557%7.1%$7,39713%5 / 7
#9
City of BostonMA · city
$7,259$54.4M26.7$4.90B675,00050$10,12873%0.4%$3,54214%7 / 7
#10
City of AustinTX · city
$6,769$20.2M16.4$6.60B975,00036$5,75394%3.6%$7,16422%7 / 7
#11
City of AtlantaGA · city
$6,275$23.9M16.7$3.20B510,00025$5,42679%3.8%$17,9344%5 / 7
#12
City of ChicagoIL · city
$6,194$71.4M11.9$16.7B2,696,00035$5,82580%7.8%$10,32410%6 / 7
#13
City of Virginia BeachVA · city
$5,921$10.9M16.4$2.70B456,00020$5,74671%1.8%$3,75917%5 / 7
#14
City of TallahasseeFL · city
$5,900$12.3M14.2$1.21B205,08915$5,33968%10.5%$4,2749%4 / 7
#15
Palm Beach CountyFL · county
$5,696$4.42M8.1$9.00B1,580,00025$2,08585%3.1%$57912%2 / 7
#16
City and County of DenverCO · consolidated
$5,594$25.8M18.2$4.00B715,00035$7,84190%2.1%$12,63730%7 / 7
#17
City of San JoseCA · city
$5,155$27.8M7.2$5.00B970,00022$3,28489%2.2%$3,86213%7 / 7
#18
City of OaklandCA · city
$5,116$28.2M10.5$2.20B430,00025$5,00689%4.7%$3,48112%4 / 7
#19
City of CharlotteNC · city
$5,045$14.5M9.0$4.49B890,00014$3,88083%10.1%$5,74040%6 / 7
#20
City of BoulderCO · city
$4,824$19.3M14.0$521.0M108,00018$3,94396%0.5%$2,20218%6 / 7
#21
City of TampaFL · city
$4,810$10.9M11.1$1.90B395,00018$4,63486%5.2%$3,44822%5 / 7
#22
City of DetroitMI · city
$4,739$21.6M14.2$3.00B633,00029$4,94261%24.0%$4,36312%5 / 7
#23
City of FresnoCA · city
$4,697$22.3M7.7$2.56B545,00018$3,08175%8.1%$1,83922%3 / 7
#24
Miami-Dade CountyFL · consolidated
$4,660$6.80M11.3$13.2B2,840,00045$4,42582%11.9%$7,37712%5 / 7
#25
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson CountyTN · consolidated
$4,392$5.70M16.1$3.00B683,00030$9,44877%6.4%$16,12118%5 / 7
#26
City of MesaAZ · city
$4,314$15.9M8.2$2.20B510,00018$2,55084%0.0%$3,64115%6 / 7
#27
City of MinneapolisMN · city
$4,186$31.0M9.8$1.80B430,00022$2,78278%8.2%$1,9567%6 / 7
#28
City of AkronOH · city
$4,177$12.7M10.6$785.2M188,00015$2,53780%0.0%$6,3732%3 / 7
#29
City of New OrleansLA · consolidated
$4,167$8.88M12.5$1.50B360,00025$6,50259%20.8%$1,67428%5 / 7
#30
City of PhiladelphiaPA · consolidated
$4,129$45.1M19.4$6.40B1,550,00050$8,44766%11.5%$4,3886%6 / 7
#31
City of San DiegoCA · city
$3,913$14.5M8.0$5.40B1,380,00025$5,09982%14.3%$4,26627%6 / 7
#32
City of TucsonAZ · city
$3,853$8.71M8.3$2.10B545,00020$2,31656%17.9%$1,90910%3 / 7
#33
City of Kansas CityMO · city
$3,725$5.96M8.2$1.90B510,00022$4,42682%11.9%$9,63823%5 / 7
#34
City of Grand ForksND · city
$3,718$10.5M9.3$220.0M59,16614$2,07371%7.1%$3,95621%4 / 7
#35
City of DallasTX · city
$3,692$14.0M10.0$4.80B1,300,00028$4,21290%8.8%$9,92726%5 / 7
#36
City of RaleighNC · city
$3,640$11.9M9.3$1.77B485,00015$2,70481%7.3%$3,30334%5 / 7
#37
City of PhoenixAZ · city
$3,515$11.2M8.5$5.80B1,650,00030$2,67169%9.4%$4,32316%6 / 7
#38
City of OmahaNE · city
$3,469$11.7M9.2$1.70B490,00018$2,11889%0.0%$3,05128%4 / 7
#39
City of BradentonFL · city
$3,437$14.3M9.9$200.0M58,18410$1,49982%1.6%$77310%1 / 7
#40
City of Los AngelesCA · city
$3,429$26.0M13.1$13.1B3,820,00040$5,91987%4.0%$10,29717%7 / 7
#41
City of MiamiFL · city
$3,409$26.8M9.3$1.50B440,00018$3,52581%9.1%$8937%5 / 7
#42
City of MilwaukeeWI · city
$3,393$19.8M11.6$1.90B560,00030$2,42657%15.3%$2,7809%5 / 7
#43
City of ColumbiaSC · city
$3,162$3.21M16.2$430.0M136,00015$3,59575%4.3%$6,80925%3 / 7
#44
City of Oklahoma CityOK · city
$3,050$3.41M7.9$2.12B695,00025$2,79589%3.7%$3,86930%5 / 7
#45
City of TulsaOK · city
$2,993$6.26M8.5$1.23B410,00018$3,05190%6.9%$3,00329%4 / 7
#46
Macon-Bibb CountyGA · consolidated
$2,930$1.81M12.0$460.0M157,00031$2,24250%9.4%$70013%5 / 7
#47
Lexington-Fayette Urban County GovernmentKY · consolidated
$2,908$3.29M10.9$938.0M322,57016$2,75185%7.6%$3,00226%5 / 7
#48
City of Saint PaulMN · city
$2,858$15.8M9.7$883.0M309,00016$3,55368%15.5%$2,99820%5 / 7
#49
City of SacramentoCA · city
$2,857$15.0M9.1$1.50B525,00022$4,14688%6.2%$3,44416%5 / 7
#50
City of HoustonTX · city
$2,696$9.32M9.6$6.20B2,300,00022$2,96684%6.5%$5,40021%5 / 7
#51
City of Las VegasNV · city
$2,576$12.1M4.8$1.70B660,00018$2,04949%4.5%$86030%4 / 7
#53
City of AberdeenSD · city
$2,500$5.00M8.9$70.0M28,00010$2,14676%18.9%$1430%1 / 7
#52
City of AlbuquerqueNM · city
$2,500$7.45M12.1$1.40B560,00022$2,39385%6.0%$2,4777%6 / 7
#54
City of San AntonioTX · city
$2,475$7.34M8.7$3.70B1,495,00028$4,99385%2.6%$9,46026%5 / 7
#55
City of Fort WorthTX · city
$2,268$6.29M7.7$2.20B970,00024$2,60292%4.5%$2,97525%5 / 7
#56
City of WichitaKS · city
$2,077$5.01M7.1$825.9M397,53218$2,36578%0.0%$3,61740%5 / 7
#57
City of El PasoTX · city
$2,068$5.47M9.6$1.40B677,00022$2,49887%9.3%$4,64138%3 / 7
#58
City of JacksonvilleFL · consolidated
$1,949$2.17M8.2$1.90B975,00022$5,97476%6.2%$5,22621%4 / 7
#59
Columbus Consolidated GovernmentGA · consolidated
$1,913$1.79M14.6$394.0M206,00013$2,53264%5.4%$2,19621%2 / 7
#60
City of ArlingtonTX · city
$1,900$7.58M7.1$750.7M395,00016$2,04291%7.1%$5,99720%4 / 7
#61
City of Colorado SpringsCO · city
$1,870$4.65M5.8$907.0M485,00018$4,71090%8.7%$5,61442%3 / 7
#62
Borough of State CollegePA · city
$1,835$14.7M4.3$73.4M40,0009$1,40387%6.7%$65112%1 / 7
#63
City of MilledgevilleGA · city
$1,765$1.76M11.8$30.0M17,0008$87282%0.0%$7110%0 / 7
#64
Louisville Metro GovernmentKY · consolidated
$1,760$2.89M9.6$1.10B625,00022$3,74180%9.2%$5,70836%5 / 7
#65
City of IndianapolisIN · consolidated
$1,705$4.08M9.1$1.50B880,00022$6,77775%1.1%$7,20212%5 / 7
#66
City of BiloxiMS · city
$1,600$2.05M16.0$80.0M50,00011$2,79347%14.1%$1,64430%0 / 7
#67
City of ColumbusOH · city
$1,311$5.36M9.3$1.20B915,00025$3,17287%8.4%23%6 / 7
#68
City of MemphisTN · city
$1,290$2.47M10.5$800.0M620,00020$5,19265%3.2%$2,8116%3 / 7
#69
City of DuluthMN · city
$1,279$1.26M10.5$110.0M86,00012$4,87365%12.1%$1,33713%3 / 7
#70
City of GaryIN · city
$979$1.32M5.2$66.0M67,42512$3,41181%5.8%$2,7845%1 / 7
#71
City of Fort WayneIN · city
$889$2.18M7.8$240.0M270,00014$1,61875%12.2%$2,39619%3 / 7

Click a column header to sort by that ratio; click a row to open its full assessment. Rank and percentile reflect the operating budget per capita column, computed across all entities that report it — blank (—) cells are excluded from ranking rather than counted as zero.

The Civic Infrastructure Diagnostic Framework’s structural elements — the four cluster labels, the six capacity dimensions, and the binding-constraint framing — are licensed under CC BY 4.0. Anyone may use or adapt them with attribution. Tool implementation and full article text © 2026 JTV Advisory LLC.