San Diego, CA vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Las Vegas, NV by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $9,085, a 377% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 29-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335 per resident, while Las Vegas, NV leads with parks and recreation at $1,028.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 39% of total revenue in San Diego, CA and 34% in Las Vegas, NV.
Summary
San Diego spends 376.7% more per capita than Las Vegas ($34,221/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $124 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $63 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $194 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $57 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $14 | $0 |
| Other | $3,801 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,335 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $1,278 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,408 | $45 |
| Education | $2,005 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $700 | $705 |
| Health | $411 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $436 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $4,476 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $43 | $332 |
| Utilities | $11,704 | $129 |
| Other | $17,509 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.