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

Baltimore, MD vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 63.1% more per capita than Baltimore ($116,196/person difference). Baltimore, MD has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Baltimore, MD
Pop. 584,548
B
70/100
Budget Balance79
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
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
Baltimore
San Francisco
Total Spending
$39.7B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$67,935
$184,131
Total Revenue
$41.3B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$70,679
$272,907
Total Debt
$0
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,031
Population
584,548
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Baltimore$820
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Baltimore$1,214
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Baltimore$676
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Baltimore$384
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Baltimore$35,510
San Francisco$0
Health
Baltimore$757
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BaltimoreSan Francisco
Property Tax
$84
$148
Sales Tax
$55
$3,028
Income Tax
$375
$269
Intergovernmental
$5,085
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$2,192
$7,961
Other
$4,765
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BaltimoreSan Francisco
Police
$820
$3,351
Fire Protection
$1,214
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$676
$0
Education
$35,510
$0
Public Welfare
$714
$2,203
Health
$757
$1,911
Hospitals
$1,877
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$384
$4,119
Housing
$4,087
$9,315
Sewerage
$87
$1,423
Utilities
$3,809
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$0
$22,798
General Admin
$19
$14,899
Other
$17,981
$93,702
B
Baltimore, MD
Fiscal Health Score: 70/100
Good fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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