Las Vegas, NV vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Las Vegas, NV by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $9,085, a 377% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 29-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Las Vegas, NV leads with parks and recreation at $1,028 per resident, while San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 34% of total revenue in Las Vegas, NV and 39% in San Diego, CA.
Summary
San Diego spends 79.0% more per capita than Las Vegas ($34,221/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $50 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $386 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,137 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $14 |
| Other | $2,806 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $945 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $280 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $45 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $705 | $700 |
| Health | $0 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $356 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,028 | $436 |
| Housing | $23 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $332 | $43 |
| Utilities | $129 | $11,704 |
| Other | $5,243 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.