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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Sacramento, CA vs San Francisco, CA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

San Francisco spends 61.4% more per capita than Sacramento ($113,111/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Sacramento, CA
Pop. 523,600
C
57/100
Budget Balance29
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Sacramento
San Francisco
Total Spending
$37.2B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$71,020
$184,131
Total Revenue
$33.3B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$63,682
$272,907
Total Debt
$0
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,031
Population
523,600
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Sacramento$5,402
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Sacramento$2,466
San Francisco$2,281
Parks & Recreation
Sacramento$1,437
San Francisco$4,119
Education
Sacramento$2,684
San Francisco$0
Health
Sacramento$18
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SacramentoSan Francisco
Property Tax
$1,465
$148
Sales Tax
$378
$3,028
Income Tax
$3,104
$269
Intergovernmental
$3,400
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$3,239
$7,961
Other
$5,072
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

SacramentoSan Francisco
Police
$5,402
$3,351
Fire Protection
$2,466
$2,281
Education
$2,684
$0
Public Welfare
$3,470
$2,203
Health
$18
$1,911
Hospitals
$0
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$1,437
$4,119
Housing
$8,577
$9,315
Sewerage
$103
$1,423
Utilities
$19,920
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$162
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$26,782
$93,702
C
Sacramento, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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