Salt Lake City, UT vs St. George, UT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Salt Lake City, UT outspends St. George, UT by a wide margin per resident — $25,335 versus $12,862, a 97% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
St. George, UT holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 62/100 (grade C) against 52/100 (grade C) for Salt Lake City, UT — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, St. George, UT carries the lighter load at $14 per resident versus $1,610 for Salt Lake City, UT. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Salt Lake City, UT at $1,879 per resident and in St. George, UT at $2,093.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Salt Lake City, UT at 5% of total revenue, whereas St. George, UT relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Salt Lake City spends 97.0% more per capita than St. George ($12,473/person difference). St. George, UT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $213 | $2 |
| Sales Tax | $1,451 | $1,485 |
| Income Tax | $737 | $848 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,455 | $9,539 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,537 | $3,377 |
| Other | $8,729 | $3,654 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $499 | $259 |
| Highways & Roads | $536 | $157 |
| Education | $90 | $46 |
| Public Welfare | $2,075 | $392 |
| Health | $1,244 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $470 | $72 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,879 | $2,093 |
| Housing | $3,710 | $1,989 |
| Sewerage | $371 | $391 |
| Utilities | $3,955 | $2,612 |
| Interest on Debt | $43 | $282 |
| Other | $10,462 | $4,569 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.