Sacramento, CA vs Fresno, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Fresno, CA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $43,387, a 64% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Sacramento, CA edges Fresno, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 50/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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 Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 8% of total revenue in Sacramento, CA and 19% in Fresno, CA.
Summary
Sacramento spends 63.7% more per capita than Fresno ($27,633/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $337 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $19 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $501 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | -$4,470 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $11 |
| Other | $5,072 | $2,070 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $3,261 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $568 |
| Education | $2,684 | $3,942 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $1,946 |
| Health | $18 | $599 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $76 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $2,856 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $0 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $15,340 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $255 |
| Other | $26,782 | $14,545 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.