Budget Explorer
Where Philadelphia's money goes
Every dollar the city appropriates is set by an annual budget ordinance. This explorer pulls the department-by-department numbers straight from those ordinances, FY2001 to FY2027 — pick a fund and a year to see how the money is divided, and how it's shifted over time.
The city's main operating account. Most local taxes (wage, property, business, sales) flow here and pay for the services the city runs directly — police, fire, prisons, streets, parks, health, courts. This is the money City Council fights over most.
General Fund over time
$2.83B (FY2001) → $6.97B (FY2027) +146%
FY2001FY2027
Where General Fund went in FY2027
Total $6.97BTip: click any department with a › to see its spending-class breakdown and what it is.
What do the line items (spending classes) mean?
- Personal Services
- Salaries and wages for city employees — the cost of the people who do the work. In central "Employee Benefits" lines it also covers pensions and health insurance.
- Purchase of Services
- Payments to outside contractors and vendors — anything the city buys as a service rather than doing in-house: consultants, legal work, leases, utilities, and subsidies.
- Materials, Supplies and Equipment
- Physical goods the city buys — fuel, supplies, vehicles, and equipment.
- Contributions, Indemnities and Taxes
- Grants and contributions the city pays out, plus legal settlements and claims (indemnities) and any taxes it owes.
- Debt Service
- Principal and interest payments on money the city has borrowed.
- Payments to Other Funds
- Internal transfers from this fund to another city fund.
- Advances and Miscellaneous Payments
- Reserves and miscellaneous payments that don't fit the other categories.