Fort Worth, TX vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Fort Worth, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $15,939, a 172% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Fort Worth, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 63/100 (grade C) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fort Worth, TX carries $1,921 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fort Worth, TX leads with parks and recreation at $708 per resident, while San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Fort Worth, TX at 15% of total revenue, whereas San Diego, CA relies most on other revenue at 39%.
Summary
San Diego spends 63.2% more per capita than Fort Worth ($27,367/person difference). Fort Worth, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $198 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $851 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,002 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,594 | $14 |
| Other | $3,439 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $156 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $317 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $869 | $700 |
| Health | $235 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $1,680 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $708 | $436 |
| Housing | $4,217 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $267 | $43 |
| Utilities | $2,674 | $11,704 |
| Other | $4,817 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.