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

Phoenix, AZ vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 91.4% more per capita than Phoenix ($168,338/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Phoenix, AZ
Pop. 1,609,456
B
67/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden45
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Phoenix
San Francisco
Total Spending
$25.4B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$15,793
$184,131
Total Revenue
$81.6B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$50,709
$272,907
Total Debt
$1.9B
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$1,156
$2,031
Population
1,609,456
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Phoenix$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Phoenix$170
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Phoenix$86
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Phoenix$652
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Phoenix$214
San Francisco$0
Health
Phoenix$258
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixSan Francisco
Property Tax
$7
$148
Sales Tax
$338
$3,028
Income Tax
$1,260
$269
Intergovernmental
$50,709
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$2,998
$7,961
Other
$2,038
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$170
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$86
$0
Education
$214
$0
Public Welfare
$507
$2,203
Health
$258
$1,911
Hospitals
$1,521
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$652
$4,119
Housing
$3,879
$9,315
Sewerage
$388
$1,423
Utilities
$2,480
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$1,760
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$3,878
$93,702
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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