Chicago, IL vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA spends 25% more per resident than Chicago, IL: $43,306 against $34,551. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Chicago, IL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 61/100 (grade C) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Chicago, IL carries $977 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Chicago, IL leads with fire protection at $10,754 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 Chicago, IL at 100% of total revenue, whereas San Diego, CA relies most on other revenue at 39%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.