New York, NY vs San Francisco, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA spends 43% more per resident than New York, NY: $184,131 against $129,119. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
New York, NY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 64/100 (grade C) against 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, New York, NY carries the lighter load at $462 per resident versus $2,031 for San Francisco, CA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: New York, NY leads with education at $37,892 per resident, while San Francisco, CA leads with parks and recreation at $4,119.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in New York, NY and 7% in San Francisco, CA.
Summary
San Francisco spends 29.9% more per capita than New York ($55,012/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $5 | $148 |
| Sales Tax | $399 | $3,028 |
| Income Tax | $19 | $269 |
| Intergovernmental | $20,520 | $19,762 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,835 | $7,961 |
| Other | $3,593 | $18,918 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,512 | $3,351 |
| Fire Protection | $11,050 | $2,281 |
| Highways & Roads | $221 | $0 |
| Education | $37,892 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,116 | $2,203 |
| Health | $417 | $1,911 |
| Hospitals | $6,467 | $6,939 |
| Parks & Recreation | $868 | $4,119 |
| Housing | $7,137 | $9,315 |
| Sewerage | $315 | $1,423 |
| Utilities | $13,371 | $21,190 |
| Interest on Debt | $11,706 | $22,798 |
| General Admin | $11,668 | $14,899 |
| Other | $25,380 | $93,702 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.