San Antonio, TX vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends San Antonio, TX by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $16,943, a 319% 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 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Sacramento, 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 Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in San Antonio, TX at 17% of total revenue, whereas Sacramento, CA relies most on other revenue at 8%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 76.1% more per capita than San Antonio ($54,078/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 | $1,465 |
| Sales Tax | $293 | $378 |
| Income Tax | $1,000 | $3,104 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,312 | $3,400 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,025 | $3,239 |
| Other | $3,184 | $5,072 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $5,402 |
| Fire Protection | $396 | $2,466 |
| Highways & Roads | $158 | $0 |
| Education | $23 | $2,684 |
| Public Welfare | $1,188 | $3,470 |
| Health | $293 | $18 |
| Hospitals | $993 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,045 | $1,437 |
| Housing | $3,570 | $8,577 |
| Sewerage | $100 | $103 |
| Utilities | $3,826 | $19,920 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $162 |
| Other | $5,352 | $26,782 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.