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

San Francisco, CA vs Charlotte, NC

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 1061.4% more per capita than Charlotte ($168,278/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

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
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Francisco
Charlotte
Total Spending
$156.7B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$15,854
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$49,746
Total Debt
$1.7B
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$2,690
Population
851,036
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Charlotte$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Charlotte$1,571
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoCharlotte
Property Tax
$148
$0
Sales Tax
$3,028
$541
Income Tax
$269
$366
Intergovernmental
$19,762
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$7,961
$2,459
Other
$18,918
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoCharlotte
Police
$3,351
$0
Fire Protection
$2,281
$463
Highways & Roads
$0
$41
Public Welfare
$2,203
$672
Health
$1,911
$0
Hospitals
$6,939
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$4,119
$1,571
Housing
$9,315
$3,944
Sewerage
$1,423
$0
Utilities
$21,190
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$22,798
$2,226
General Admin
$14,899
$0
Other
$93,702
$3,448
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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