Miami, FL vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Miami, FL by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $28,195, a 152% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Sacramento, CA edges Miami, FL on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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: Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399 per resident, while Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Miami, FL at 100% of total revenue, whereas Sacramento, CA relies most on other revenue at 8%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 60.3% more per capita than Miami ($42,825/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,465 |
| Sales Tax | $1,647 | $378 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $3,104 |
| Intergovernmental | $15,037 | $3,400 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,239 |
| Other | $1,399 | $5,072 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $5,402 |
| Fire Protection | $7,399 | $2,466 |
| Education | $0 | $2,684 |
| Public Welfare | $109 | $3,470 |
| Health | $0 | $18 |
| Hospitals | $1,499 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,783 | $1,437 |
| Housing | $6,840 | $8,577 |
| Sewerage | $699 | $103 |
| Utilities | $1,295 | $19,920 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $162 |
| Other | $8,572 | $26,782 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.