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

San Diego, CA vs Long Beach, CA

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

Summary

San Diego spends 26.4% more per capita than Long Beach ($9,056/person difference). Long Beach, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

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
Long Beach, CA
Pop. 462,293
B
67/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency23
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Diego
Long Beach
Total Spending
$59.9B
$15.8B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$34,250
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$34.9B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$75,389
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
1,383,987
462,293
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Long Beach$0
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Long Beach$0
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Long Beach$0
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Long Beach$698
Education
San Diego$2,005
Long Beach$0
Health
San Diego$411
Long Beach$477

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoLong Beach
Property Tax
$124
$0
Sales Tax
$63
$36
Income Tax
$194
$1,760
Intergovernmental
$57
$1,688
Charges & Fees
$14
$2,424
Other
$3,801
$8,836

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoLong Beach
Police
$3,335
$0
Fire Protection
$1,278
$0
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$0
Education
$2,005
$0
Public Welfare
$700
$1,317
Health
$411
$477
Hospitals
$0
$2,751
Parks & Recreation
$436
$698
Housing
$4,476
$5,782
Sewerage
$43
$86
Utilities
$11,704
$3,889
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,718
Other
$17,509
$16,533
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
B
Long Beach, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health

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