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

San Francisco, CA vs Arlington, TX

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 1464.5% more per capita than Arlington ($172,362/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Francisco
Arlington
Total Spending
$156.7B
$4.6B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$11,769
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$23.8B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$60,454
Total Debt
$1.7B
$233.8M
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$594
Population
851,036
393,469
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Arlington$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Arlington$160
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Arlington$149
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Arlington$1,352
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Arlington$219

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoArlington
Property Tax
$148
$0
Sales Tax
$3,028
$507
Income Tax
$269
$73
Intergovernmental
$19,762
$25,062
Charges & Fees
$7,961
$2,949
Other
$18,918
$3,897

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoArlington
Police
$3,351
$0
Fire Protection
$2,281
$160
Highways & Roads
$0
$149
Public Welfare
$2,203
$826
Health
$1,911
$219
Hospitals
$6,939
$152
Parks & Recreation
$4,119
$1,352
Housing
$9,315
$2,981
Sewerage
$1,423
$141
Utilities
$21,190
$1,385
Interest on Debt
$22,798
$0
General Admin
$14,899
$0
Other
$93,702
$4,404
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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