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

Detroit, MI vs Fresno, CA

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

Summary

Fresno spends 28.3% more per capita than Detroit ($12,300/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Fresno
Total Spending
$19.8B
$23.5B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$43,387
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$6.0B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$10,998
Total Debt
$493.9M
$0
Debt / Capita
$776
$0
Population
636,787
541,528
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Detroit$0
Fresno$3,261
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Fresno$568
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Fresno$76
Education
Detroit$0
Fresno$3,942
Health
Detroit$396
Fresno$599

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitFresno
Property Tax
$44
$337
Sales Tax
$200
$19
Income Tax
$1,045
$501
Intergovernmental
$291
-$4,470
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$11
Other
$6,892
$2,070

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitFresno
Police
$0
$3,261
Fire Protection
$2,429
$568
Education
$0
$3,942
Public Welfare
$833
$1,946
Health
$396
$599
Hospitals
$2,217
$0
Parks & Recreation
$950
$76
Housing
$5,791
$2,856
Sewerage
$451
$0
Utilities
$2,737
$15,340
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$255
Other
$13,216
$14,545
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

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