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

San Diego, CA vs Portland, OR

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

Summary

San Diego spends 82.9% more per capita than Portland ($19,632/person difference). Portland, OR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

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
Portland, OR
Pop. 646,101
C
63/100
Budget Balance83
Debt Burden7
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency72
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Diego
Portland
Total Spending
$59.9B
$15.3B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$23,675
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$31.0B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$47,970
Total Debt
$0
$1.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,574
Population
1,383,987
646,101
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Portland$0
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Portland$1,700
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Portland$139
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Portland$2,477
Education
San Diego$2,005
Portland$0
Health
San Diego$411
Portland$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoPortland
Property Tax
$124
$0
Sales Tax
$63
$1,695
Income Tax
$194
$130
Intergovernmental
$57
$8,979
Charges & Fees
$14
$3,883
Other
$3,801
$7,916

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoPortland
Police
$3,335
$0
Fire Protection
$1,278
$1,700
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$139
Education
$2,005
$0
Public Welfare
$700
$3,607
Health
$411
$0
Hospitals
$0
$2,893
Parks & Recreation
$436
$2,477
Housing
$4,476
$3,694
Sewerage
$43
$630
Utilities
$11,704
$1,845
Other
$17,509
$6,689
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
C
Portland, OR
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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