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

Detroit, MI vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 83.1% more per capita than Detroit ($153,044/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 Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Detroit
San Francisco
Total Spending
$19.8B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$184,131
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$272,907
Total Debt
$493.9M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$776
$2,031
Population
636,787
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Detroit$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
San Francisco$2,281
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
San Francisco$4,119
Health
Detroit$396
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSan Francisco
Property Tax
$44
$148
Sales Tax
$200
$3,028
Income Tax
$1,045
$269
Intergovernmental
$291
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$7,961
Other
$6,892
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$2,429
$2,281
Public Welfare
$833
$2,203
Health
$396
$1,911
Hospitals
$2,217
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$950
$4,119
Housing
$5,791
$9,315
Sewerage
$451
$1,423
Utilities
$2,737
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$13,216
$93,702
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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