Sacramento, CA vs Atlanta, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Atlanta, GA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $25,457, a 179% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 28-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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: Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402 per resident, while Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Sacramento, CA at 8% of total revenue, whereas Atlanta, GA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 6%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 179.0% more per capita than Atlanta ($45,563/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $419 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $1,292 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $9,121 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $5,645 |
| Other | $5,072 | $5,461 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $315 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $464 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $513 |
| Education | $2,684 | $25 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $1,587 |
| Health | $18 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $55 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $1,274 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $4,594 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $343 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $8,026 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| Other | $26,782 | $8,262 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.