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

Detroit, MI vs Sacramento, CA

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

Summary

Sacramento spends 56.2% more per capita than Detroit ($39,933/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
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
Sacramento
Total Spending
$19.8B
$37.2B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$71,020
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$33.3B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$63,682
Total Debt
$493.9M
$0
Debt / Capita
$776
$0
Population
636,787
523,600
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Detroit$0
Sacramento$5,402
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Sacramento$2,466
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Sacramento$1,437
Education
Detroit$0
Sacramento$2,684
Health
Detroit$396
Sacramento$18

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSacramento
Property Tax
$44
$1,465
Sales Tax
$200
$378
Income Tax
$1,045
$3,104
Intergovernmental
$291
$3,400
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$3,239
Other
$6,892
$5,072

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSacramento
Police
$0
$5,402
Fire Protection
$2,429
$2,466
Education
$0
$2,684
Public Welfare
$833
$3,470
Health
$396
$18
Hospitals
$2,217
$0
Parks & Recreation
$950
$1,437
Housing
$5,791
$8,577
Sewerage
$451
$103
Utilities
$2,737
$19,920
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$162
Other
$13,216
$26,782
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health

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