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

San Francisco, CA vs Denver, CO

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 448.3% more per capita than Denver ($150,549/person difference). Denver, CO has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 51/100).

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
Denver, CO
Pop. 710,800
C
51/100
Budget Balance68
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency26
Revenue Diversity99
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Francisco
Denver
Total Spending
$156.7B
$23.9B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$33,582
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$86.8B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$122,063
Total Debt
$1.7B
$3.6B
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$5,126
Population
851,036
710,800
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Denver$2,455
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Denver$1,668
Highways & Roads
San Francisco$0
Denver$475
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Denver$3,319
Education
San Francisco$0
Denver$821
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Denver$693

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoDenver
Property Tax
$148
$0
Sales Tax
$3,028
$2,070
Income Tax
$269
$236
Intergovernmental
$19,762
$44,661
Charges & Fees
$7,961
$5,207
Other
$18,918
$10,100

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoDenver
Police
$3,351
$2,455
Fire Protection
$2,281
$1,668
Highways & Roads
$0
$475
Education
$0
$821
Public Welfare
$2,203
$764
Health
$1,911
$693
Hospitals
$6,939
$2,855
Parks & Recreation
$4,119
$3,319
Housing
$9,315
$3,565
Sewerage
$1,423
$293
Utilities
$21,190
$4,292
Interest on Debt
$22,798
$7
General Admin
$14,899
$364
Other
$93,702
$12,011
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
C
Denver, CO
Fiscal Health Score: 51/100
Average fiscal health

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