Jacksonville, FL vs San Antonio, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL outspends San Antonio, TX by a wide margin per resident — $31,456 versus $16,943, a 86% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Antonio, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 68/100 (grade B) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, San Antonio, TX carries the lighter load at $2,131 per resident versus $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while San Antonio, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,045.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Jacksonville, FL and 17% in San Antonio, TX.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 85.7% more per capita than San Antonio ($14,514/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $1,000 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $14,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $4,025 |
| Other | $4,705 | $3,184 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $396 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $158 |
| Education | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $1,188 |
| Health | $332 | $293 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $993 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $1,045 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $3,570 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $100 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $3,826 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| Other | $9,771 | $5,352 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.