San Diego, CA vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA spends 30% more per resident than San Diego, CA: $56,272 against $43,306. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Diego, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 53/100 (grade C) against 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Diego, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335 per resident, while Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Diego, CA at 39% of total revenue, whereas Philadelphia, PA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 16%.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 23.0% more per capita than San Diego ($12,966/person difference). San Diego, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $124 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $63 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $194 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $57 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $14 | $2,790 |
| Other | $3,801 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,335 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $1,278 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,408 | $1,215 |
| Education | $2,005 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $700 | $1,456 |
| Health | $411 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $436 | $593 |
| Housing | $4,476 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $43 | $325 |
| Utilities | $11,704 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $17,509 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.