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

Fresno, CA vs Detroit, MI

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

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

City A
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fresno
Detroit
Total Spending
$23.5B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$31,087
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$44,533
Total Debt
$0
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$776
Population
541,528
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
Detroit$950
Education
Fresno$3,942
Detroit$0
Health
Fresno$599
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoDetroit
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)

FresnoDetroit
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
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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