Sacramento, CA vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends San Diego, CA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $43,306, 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 San Diego, CA 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. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Sacramento, CA at $5,402 per resident and in San Diego, CA at $3,335.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 8% of total revenue in Sacramento, CA and 39% in San Diego, CA.
Summary
Sacramento spends 64.0% more per capita than San Diego ($27,714/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 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $14 |
| Other | $5,072 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,408 |
| Education | $2,684 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $700 |
| Health | $18 | $411 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $436 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $43 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $11,704 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| Other | $26,782 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.