San Diego, CA vs Denver, CO
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
San Diego spends 29.0% more per capita than Denver ($9,724/person difference). San Diego, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
Trend Direction50
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
San Diego
Denver
Total Spending
$59.9B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$33,582
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$122,063
Total Debt
$0
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$0
$5,126
Population
1,383,987
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
San Diego$3,335
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Denver$3,319
Education
San Diego$2,005
Denver$821
Health
San Diego$411
Denver$693
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
San DiegoDenver
| Property Tax | $124 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $63 | $2,070 |
| Income Tax | $194 | $236 |
| Intergovernmental | $57 | $44,661 |
| Charges & Fees | $14 | $5,207 |
| Other | $3,801 | $10,100 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
San DiegoDenver
| Police | $3,335 | $2,455 |
| Fire Protection | $1,278 | $1,668 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,408 | $475 |
| Education | $2,005 | $821 |
| Public Welfare | $700 | $764 |
| Health | $411 | $693 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,855 |
| Parks & Recreation | $436 | $3,319 |
| Housing | $4,476 | $3,565 |
| Sewerage | $43 | $293 |
| Utilities | $11,704 | $4,292 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $7 |
| General Admin | $0 | $364 |
| Other | $17,509 | $12,011 |
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health