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

San Diego, CA vs Raleigh, NC

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

Summary

San Diego spends 211.3% more per capita than Raleigh ($29,395/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

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
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Diego
Raleigh
Total Spending
$59.9B
$6.5B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$13,911
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$13.9B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$29,940
Total Debt
$0
$421.6M
Debt / Capita
$0
$906
Population
1,383,987
465,517
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Raleigh$0
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Raleigh$277
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Raleigh$448
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Raleigh$1,391
Education
San Diego$2,005
Raleigh$6
Health
San Diego$411
Raleigh$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoRaleigh
Property Tax
$124
$0
Sales Tax
$63
$858
Income Tax
$194
$806
Intergovernmental
$57
$14,128
Charges & Fees
$14
$2,681
Other
$3,801
$4,740

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoRaleigh
Police
$3,335
$0
Fire Protection
$1,278
$277
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$448
Education
$2,005
$6
Public Welfare
$700
$498
Health
$411
$0
Hospitals
$0
$669
Parks & Recreation
$436
$1,391
Housing
$4,476
$2,712
Sewerage
$43
$281
Utilities
$11,704
$2,469
Interest on Debt
$0
$1,513
Other
$17,509
$3,646
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health

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