San Diego, CA vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends San Diego, CA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $43,306, a 64% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Sacramento, CA edges San Diego, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 57/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in San Diego, CA at $3,335 per resident and in Sacramento, CA at $5,402.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 39% of total revenue in San Diego, CA and 8% in Sacramento, CA.
Summary
Sacramento spends 39.0% more per capita than San Diego ($27,714/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $124 | $1,465 |
| Sales Tax | $63 | $378 |
| Income Tax | $194 | $3,104 |
| Intergovernmental | $57 | $3,400 |
| Charges & Fees | $14 | $3,239 |
| Other | $3,801 | $5,072 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,335 | $5,402 |
| Fire Protection | $1,278 | $2,466 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,408 | $0 |
| Education | $2,005 | $2,684 |
| Public Welfare | $700 | $3,470 |
| Health | $411 | $18 |
| Parks & Recreation | $436 | $1,437 |
| Housing | $4,476 | $8,577 |
| Sewerage | $43 | $103 |
| Utilities | $11,704 | $19,920 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $162 |
| Other | $17,509 | $26,782 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.