Sacramento, CA vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Dallas, TX by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $34,849, a 104% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
On the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score the two are level: Sacramento, CA and Dallas, TX both land at 57/100 (grade C and C respectively), so the deciding factors sit in the underlying six-factor breakdown rather than the rolled-up grade.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Sacramento, CA at $5,402 per resident and in Dallas, TX at $1,519.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Sacramento, CA at 8% of total revenue, whereas Dallas, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 22%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 103.8% more per capita than Dallas ($36,171/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $0 |
| Other | $5,072 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $201 |
| Education | $2,684 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $215 |
| Health | $18 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $0 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $0 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $833 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $26,782 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.