Sacramento, CA vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Miami, FL by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $28,195, a 152% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Sacramento, CA edges Miami, FL on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (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 Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Sacramento, CA at 8% of total revenue, whereas Miami, FL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 151.9% more per capita than Miami ($42,825/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $0 |
| Other | $5,072 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $7,399 |
| Education | $2,684 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $109 |
| Health | $18 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $699 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $1,295 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| Other | $26,782 | $8,572 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.