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

Detroit, MI vs San Antonio, TX

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

Summary

Detroit spends 83.5% more per capita than San Antonio ($14,145/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
San Antonio, TX
Pop. 1,445,662
B
68/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
San Antonio
Total Spending
$19.8B
$24.5B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$16,943
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$124.1B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$85,853
Total Debt
$493.9M
$3.1B
Debt / Capita
$776
$2,131
Population
636,787
1,445,662
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
San Antonio$396
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
San Antonio$158
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
San Antonio$1,045
Education
Detroit$0
San Antonio$23
Health
Detroit$396
San Antonio$293

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSan Antonio
Property Tax
$44
$9
Sales Tax
$200
$293
Income Tax
$1,045
$1,000
Intergovernmental
$291
$14,312
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$4,025
Other
$6,892
$3,184

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSan Antonio
Fire Protection
$2,429
$396
Highways & Roads
$0
$158
Education
$0
$23
Public Welfare
$833
$1,188
Health
$396
$293
Hospitals
$2,217
$993
Parks & Recreation
$950
$1,045
Housing
$5,791
$3,570
Sewerage
$451
$100
Utilities
$2,737
$3,826
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$5,352
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
B
San Antonio, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health

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