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

Detroit, MI vs San Diego, CA

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

Summary

San Diego spends 28.2% more per capita than Detroit ($12,219/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 Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
San Diego
Total Spending
$19.8B
$59.9B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$43,306
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$13.4B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$9,662
Total Debt
$493.9M
$0
Debt / Capita
$776
$0
Population
636,787
1,383,987
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Detroit$0
San Diego$3,335
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
San Diego$1,278
Highways & Roads
Detroit$0
San Diego$1,408
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
San Diego$436
Education
Detroit$0
San Diego$2,005
Health
Detroit$396
San Diego$411

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSan Diego
Property Tax
$44
$124
Sales Tax
$200
$63
Income Tax
$1,045
$194
Intergovernmental
$291
$57
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$14
Other
$6,892
$3,801

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSan Diego
Police
$0
$3,335
Fire Protection
$2,429
$1,278
Highways & Roads
$0
$1,408
Education
$0
$2,005
Public Welfare
$833
$700
Health
$396
$411
Hospitals
$2,217
$0
Parks & Recreation
$950
$436
Housing
$5,791
$4,476
Sewerage
$451
$43
Utilities
$2,737
$11,704
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$17,509
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

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