Detroit, MI vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA spends 39% more per resident than Detroit, MI: $43,306 against $31,087. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Detroit, MI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Detroit, MI carries $776 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429 per resident, while San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 15% of total revenue in Detroit, MI and 39% in San Diego, CA.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.