Austin, TX vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Austin, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $21,772, a 99% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Austin, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Austin, TX carries $1,229 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Austin, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,801 per resident, while San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Austin, TX at 18% of total revenue, whereas San Diego, CA relies most on other revenue at 39%.
Summary
San Diego spends 49.7% more per capita than Austin ($21,534/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $526 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $1,465 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,031 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,247 | $14 |
| Other | $5,645 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $634 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,408 |
| Education | $51 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $1,837 | $700 |
| Health | $517 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $664 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,801 | $436 |
| Housing | $3,741 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $865 | $43 |
| Utilities | $3,264 | $11,704 |
| Other | $8,399 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.