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

Fresno, CA vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 76.4% more per capita than Fresno ($140,744/person difference). Fresno, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 50/100).

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
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fresno
San Francisco
Total Spending
$23.5B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$184,131
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$272,907
Total Debt
$0
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,031
Population
541,528
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
San Francisco$2,281
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Fresno$3,942
San Francisco$0
Health
Fresno$599
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoSan Francisco
Property Tax
$337
$148
Sales Tax
$19
$3,028
Income Tax
$501
$269
Intergovernmental
-$4,470
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$11
$7,961
Other
$2,070
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoSan Francisco
Police
$3,261
$3,351
Fire Protection
$568
$2,281
Education
$3,942
$0
Public Welfare
$1,946
$2,203
Health
$599
$1,911
Hospitals
$0
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$76
$4,119
Housing
$2,856
$9,315
Sewerage
$0
$1,423
Utilities
$15,340
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$255
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$14,545
$93,702
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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