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

San Francisco, CA vs Chicago, IL

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 432.9% more per capita than Chicago ($149,580/person difference). Chicago, IL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

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
Chicago, IL
Pop. 2,721,914
C
61/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden61
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Francisco
Chicago
Total Spending
$156.7B
$94.0B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$34,551
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$231.6B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$85,083
Total Debt
$1.7B
$2.7B
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$977
Population
851,036
2,721,914
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Chicago$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Chicago$10,754
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Chicago$930
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Chicago$122
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Chicago$426

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoChicago
Property Tax
$148
$26
Sales Tax
$3,028
$74
Income Tax
$269
$229
Intergovernmental
$19,762
$85,083
Charges & Fees
$7,961
$2,847
Other
$18,918
$3,463

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoChicago
Police
$3,351
$0
Fire Protection
$2,281
$10,754
Highways & Roads
$0
$930
Public Welfare
$2,203
$1,858
Health
$1,911
$426
Hospitals
$6,939
$1,444
Parks & Recreation
$4,119
$122
Housing
$9,315
$6,520
Sewerage
$1,423
$129
Utilities
$21,190
$2,983
Interest on Debt
$22,798
$0
General Admin
$14,899
$0
Other
$93,702
$9,385
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Chicago, IL
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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