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

San Diego, CA vs Fresno, CA

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

Summary

Fresno spends 0.2% more per capita than San Diego ($81/person difference). San Diego, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).

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
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Diego
Fresno
Total Spending
$59.9B
$23.5B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$43,387
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$6.0B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$10,998
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
1,383,987
541,528
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Fresno$3,261
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Fresno$568
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Fresno$0
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Fresno$76
Education
San Diego$2,005
Fresno$3,942
Health
San Diego$411
Fresno$599

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoFresno
Property Tax
$124
$337
Sales Tax
$63
$19
Income Tax
$194
$501
Intergovernmental
$57
-$4,470
Charges & Fees
$14
$11
Other
$3,801
$2,070

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoFresno
Police
$3,335
$3,261
Fire Protection
$1,278
$568
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$0
Education
$2,005
$3,942
Public Welfare
$700
$1,946
Health
$411
$599
Parks & Recreation
$436
$76
Housing
$4,476
$2,856
Sewerage
$43
$0
Utilities
$11,704
$15,340
Interest on Debt
$0
$255
Other
$17,509
$14,545
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

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