San Antonio, TX vs Fresno, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends San Antonio, TX by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $16,943, a 156% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Antonio, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 68/100 (grade B) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 18-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Fresno, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while San Antonio, TX carries $2,131 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Antonio, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,045 per resident, while Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in San Antonio, TX at 17% of total revenue, whereas Fresno, CA relies most on other revenue at 19%.
Summary
Fresno spends 61.0% more per capita than San Antonio ($26,445/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $9 | $337 |
| Sales Tax | $293 | $19 |
| Income Tax | $1,000 | $501 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,312 | -$4,470 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,025 | $11 |
| Other | $3,184 | $2,070 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,261 |
| Fire Protection | $396 | $568 |
| Highways & Roads | $158 | $0 |
| Education | $23 | $3,942 |
| Public Welfare | $1,188 | $1,946 |
| Health | $293 | $599 |
| Hospitals | $993 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,045 | $76 |
| Housing | $3,570 | $2,856 |
| Sewerage | $100 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,826 | $15,340 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $255 |
| Other | $5,352 | $14,545 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.