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

San Diego, CA vs Washington, DC

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

Summary

Washington spends 82.2% more per capita than San Diego ($200,034/person difference). San Diego, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).

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
Washington, DC
Pop. 670,587
D
41/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Diego
Washington
Total Spending
$59.9B
$163.2B
Spending / Capita
$43,306
$243,341
Total Revenue
$13.4B
$186.2B
Revenue / Capita
$9,662
$277,701
Total Debt
$0
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,516
Population
1,383,987
670,587
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Diego$3,335
Washington$4,183
Fire Protection
San Diego$1,278
Washington$4,262
Highways & Roads
San Diego$1,408
Washington$1,435
Parks & Recreation
San Diego$436
Washington$5,459
Education
San Diego$2,005
Washington$53,224
Health
San Diego$411
Washington$1,009

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoWashington
Property Tax
$124
$25
Sales Tax
$63
$991
Income Tax
$194
$141
Intergovernmental
$57
$18,754
Charges & Fees
$14
$4,070
Other
$3,801
$11,518

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San DiegoWashington
Police
$3,335
$4,183
Fire Protection
$1,278
$4,262
Highways & Roads
$1,408
$1,435
Education
$2,005
$53,224
Public Welfare
$700
$2,498
Health
$411
$1,009
Hospitals
$0
$17,668
Parks & Recreation
$436
$5,459
Housing
$4,476
$10,296
Sewerage
$43
$2,881
Utilities
$11,704
$88,990
Interest on Debt
$0
$58
General Admin
$0
$3,225
Other
$17,509
$48,155
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health
D
Washington, DC
Fiscal Health Score: 41/100
Below average fiscal health

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