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

San Francisco, CA vs Atlanta, GA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 623.3% more per capita than Atlanta ($158,674/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

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
Atlanta, GA
Pop. 494,838
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Francisco
Atlanta
Total Spending
$156.7B
$12.6B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$25,457
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$77.6B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$156,803
Total Debt
$1.7B
$0
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$0
Population
851,036
494,838
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Atlanta$315
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Atlanta$464
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Atlanta$513
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Atlanta$1,274
Education
San Francisco$0
Atlanta$25
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Atlanta$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoAtlanta
Property Tax
$148
$419
Sales Tax
$3,028
$0
Income Tax
$269
$1,292
Intergovernmental
$19,762
$9,121
Charges & Fees
$7,961
$5,645
Other
$18,918
$5,461

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoAtlanta
Police
$3,351
$315
Fire Protection
$2,281
$464
Highways & Roads
$0
$513
Education
$0
$25
Public Welfare
$2,203
$1,587
Health
$1,911
$0
Hospitals
$6,939
$55
Parks & Recreation
$4,119
$1,274
Housing
$9,315
$4,594
Sewerage
$1,423
$343
Utilities
$21,190
$8,026
Interest on Debt
$22,798
$0
General Admin
$14,899
$0
Other
$93,702
$8,262
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health

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