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

Chicago, IL vs San Diego, CA

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

Summary

San Diego spends 20.2% more per capita than Chicago ($8,755/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Chicago
San Diego
Total Spending
$94.0B
$59.9B
Spending / Capita
$34,551
$43,306
Total Revenue
$231.6B
$13.4B
Revenue / Capita
$85,083
$9,662
Total Debt
$2.7B
$0
Debt / Capita
$977
$0
Population
2,721,914
1,383,987
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Chicago$0
San Diego$3,335
Fire Protection
Chicago$10,754
San Diego$1,278
Highways & Roads
Chicago$930
San Diego$1,408
Parks & Recreation
Chicago$122
San Diego$436
Education
Chicago$0
San Diego$2,005
Health
Chicago$426
San Diego$411

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoSan Diego
Property Tax
$26
$124
Sales Tax
$74
$63
Income Tax
$229
$194
Intergovernmental
$85,083
$57
Charges & Fees
$2,847
$14
Other
$3,463
$3,801

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ChicagoSan Diego
Police
$0
$3,335
Fire Protection
$10,754
$1,278
Highways & Roads
$930
$1,408
Education
$0
$2,005
Public Welfare
$1,858
$700
Health
$426
$411
Hospitals
$1,444
$0
Parks & Recreation
$122
$436
Housing
$6,520
$4,476
Sewerage
$129
$43
Utilities
$2,983
$11,704
Other
$9,385
$17,509
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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