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

Raleigh, NC vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 92.4% more per capita than Raleigh ($170,220/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
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
Raleigh
San Francisco
Total Spending
$6.5B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$13,911
$184,131
Total Revenue
$13.9B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$29,940
$272,907
Total Debt
$421.6M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$906
$2,031
Population
465,517
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Raleigh$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Raleigh$277
San Francisco$2,281
Highways & Roads
Raleigh$448
San Francisco$0
Parks & Recreation
Raleigh$1,391
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Raleigh$6
San Francisco$0
Health
Raleigh$0
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighSan Francisco
Property Tax
$0
$148
Sales Tax
$858
$3,028
Income Tax
$806
$269
Intergovernmental
$14,128
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$2,681
$7,961
Other
$4,740
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$277
$2,281
Highways & Roads
$448
$0
Education
$6
$0
Public Welfare
$498
$2,203
Health
$0
$1,911
Hospitals
$669
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$1,391
$4,119
Housing
$2,712
$9,315
Sewerage
$281
$1,423
Utilities
$2,469
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$1,513
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$3,646
$93,702
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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