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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Atlanta, GA vs San Francisco, CA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

San Francisco spends 86.2% more per capita than Atlanta ($158,674/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Atlanta, GA
Pop. 494,838
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Atlanta
San Francisco
Total Spending
$12.6B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$25,457
$184,131
Total Revenue
$77.6B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$156,803
$272,907
Total Debt
$0
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,031
Population
494,838
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Atlanta$315
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Atlanta$464
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Atlanta$513
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Atlanta$1,274
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Atlanta$25
San Francisco$0
Health
Atlanta$0
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AtlantaSan Francisco
Property Tax
$419
$148
Sales Tax
$0
$3,028
Income Tax
$1,292
$269
Intergovernmental
$9,121
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$5,645
$7,961
Other
$5,461
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AtlantaSan Francisco
Police
$315
$3,351
Fire Protection
$464
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$513
$0
Education
$25
$0
Public Welfare
$1,587
$2,203
Health
$0
$1,911
Hospitals
$55
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$1,274
$4,119
Housing
$4,594
$9,315
Sewerage
$343
$1,423
Utilities
$8,026
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$0
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$8,262
$93,702
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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