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

San Diego, CA vs Detroit, MI

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

Summary

San Diego spends 39.3% more per capita than Detroit ($12,219/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
Trend Direction50
City B
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Diego
Detroit
Total Spending
$59.9B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$31,087
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$44,533
Total Debt
$0
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$0
$776
Population
1,383,987
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Detroit$2,429
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Detroit$0
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Detroit$950
Education
San Diego$2,005
Detroit$0
Health
San Diego$411
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoDetroit
Property Tax
$124
$44
Sales Tax
$63
$200
Income Tax
$194
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$57
$291
Charges & Fees
$14
$2,228
Other
$3,801
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoDetroit
Police
$3,335
$0
Fire Protection
$1,278
$2,429
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$0
Education
$2,005
$0
Public Welfare
$700
$833
Health
$411
$396
Hospitals
$0
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$436
$950
Housing
$4,476
$5,791
Sewerage
$43
$451
Utilities
$11,704
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,068
Other
$17,509
$13,216
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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