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

Los Angeles, CA vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

Los Angeles spends 174.8% more per capita than Detroit ($54,345/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Los Angeles, CA
Pop. 3,881,041
D
47/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity65
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
Los Angeles
Detroit
Total Spending
$331.6B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$85,432
$31,087
Total Revenue
$68.3B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$17,595
$44,533
Total Debt
$0
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$776
Population
3,881,041
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Los Angeles$4,111
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
Los Angeles$1,057
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
Los Angeles$503
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
Los Angeles$1,347
Detroit$950
Education
Los Angeles$829
Detroit$0
Health
Los Angeles$409
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Los AngelesDetroit
Property Tax
$64
$44
Sales Tax
$77
$200
Income Tax
$307
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$134
$291
Charges & Fees
$459
$2,228
Other
$9,048
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Los AngelesDetroit
Police
$4,111
$0
Fire Protection
$1,057
$2,429
Highways & Roads
$503
$0
Education
$829
$0
Public Welfare
$1,286
$833
Health
$409
$396
Hospitals
$2,135
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$1,347
$950
Housing
$6,325
$5,791
Sewerage
$34
$451
Utilities
$21,992
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$630
$2,068
General Admin
$11,586
$0
Other
$33,189
$13,216
D
Los Angeles, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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