San Diego, CA vs Tulsa, OK
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Tulsa, OK by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $5,250, a 725% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Tulsa, OK edges San Diego, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 56/100 (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. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335 per resident, while Tulsa, OK leads with health at $762.
Summary
San Diego spends 724.8% more per capita than Tulsa ($38,056/person difference). Tulsa, OK has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $124 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $63 | $97 |
| Income Tax | $194 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $57 | $0 |
| Charges & Fees | $14 | $0 |
| Other | $3,801 | $53 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,335 | $628 |
| Fire Protection | $1,278 | $196 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,408 | $257 |
| Education | $2,005 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $700 | $86 |
| Health | $411 | $762 |
| Parks & Recreation | $436 | $154 |
| Housing | $4,476 | $350 |
| Sewerage | $43 | $27 |
| Utilities | $11,704 | $41 |
| Other | $17,509 | $2,748 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.