Atlanta, GA vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Atlanta, GA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $25,457, a 179% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274 per resident, while Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Atlanta, GA at 6% of total revenue, whereas Sacramento, CA relies most on other revenue at 8%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 64.2% more per capita than Atlanta ($45,563/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $419 | $1,465 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $378 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $3,104 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $3,400 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $3,239 |
| Other | $5,461 | $5,072 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $5,402 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $2,466 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $0 |
| Education | $25 | $2,684 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $3,470 |
| Health | $0 | $18 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $1,437 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $8,577 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $103 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $19,920 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $162 |
| Other | $8,262 | $26,782 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.