Fresno, CA vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA spends 40% more per resident than Detroit, MI: $43,387 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 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fresno, 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: Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942 per resident, while Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 19% of total revenue in Fresno, CA and 15% in Detroit, MI.
Summary
Fresno spends 39.6% more per capita than Detroit ($12,300/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 | $337 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $19 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $501 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | -$4,470 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $11 | $2,228 |
| Other | $2,070 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,261 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $568 | $2,429 |
| Education | $3,942 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,946 | $833 |
| Health | $599 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $76 | $950 |
| Housing | $2,856 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $451 |
| Utilities | $15,340 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $255 | $2,068 |
| Other | $14,545 | $13,216 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.