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

Charlotte, NC vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 91.4% more per capita than Charlotte ($168,278/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Charlotte
San Francisco
Total Spending
$13.9B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$15,854
$184,131
Total Revenue
$43.5B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$49,746
$272,907
Total Debt
$2.4B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$2,690
$2,031
Population
875,045
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Charlotte$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Charlotte$463
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Charlotte$41
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Charlotte$1,571
San Francisco$4,119
Health
Charlotte$0
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteSan Francisco
Property Tax
$0
$148
Sales Tax
$541
$3,028
Income Tax
$366
$269
Intergovernmental
$1,859
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$2,459
$7,961
Other
$4,866
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$463
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$41
$0
Public Welfare
$672
$2,203
Health
$0
$1,911
Hospitals
$1,243
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$1,571
$4,119
Housing
$3,944
$9,315
Sewerage
$0
$1,423
Utilities
$2,244
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$2,226
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$3,448
$93,702
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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