Philadelphia, PA vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA spends 30% more per resident than San Diego, CA: $56,272 against $43,306. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Diego, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 53/100 (grade C) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 per resident, while San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Philadelphia, PA at 16% of total revenue, whereas San Diego, CA relies most on other revenue at 39%.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 29.9% more per capita than San Diego ($12,966/person difference). San Diego, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $107 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $14 |
| Other | $4,029 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $700 |
| Health | $229 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $436 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $43 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $11,704 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.