What is the best-run city in Oregon? Depends on how you rank it, study finds

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – In a ranking of the best- and worst-run cities in the U.S., Salem beats out Portland in an overall ranking but falls behind in quality of city services.

The study performed by WalletHub compared “how well city officials manage and spend public funds by comparing the quality of the services residents receive against the city’s total budget” among 148 of the largest cities in the U.S.

Salem ranked as the best-run city in Oregon with an overall score of 41 nationally, followed by Portland with a national score of 81. However, when it comes to quality of services, Portland surged forward with a score of 22 while Salem fell back to 46.

“The best-run cities in America use their budgets most effectively to provide high-quality financial security, education, health, safety and transportation to their residents,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said. “Many of the top cities also have a very low amount of outstanding government debt per capita, which can prevent financial troubles in the future.”

In fact, Salem operates with a higher budget per capita — ranking 55th nationally. Portland ranked 111th.

WalletHub’s based its quality of life ranking on six categories, including financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution.

Salem is the only city to rank in the top five of one of these categories by claiming 4th place as the least polluted city in the U.S.