San Francisco, CA vs Detroit, MI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA outspends Detroit, MI by a wide margin per resident — $184,131 versus $31,087, a 492% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Detroit, MI holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — a 21-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Detroit, MI carries the lighter load at $776 per resident versus $2,031 for San Francisco, CA. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Francisco, CA leads with parks and recreation at $4,119 per resident, while Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in San Francisco, CA at 7% of total revenue, whereas Detroit, MI relies most on other revenue at 15%.
Summary
San Francisco spends 492.3% more per capita than Detroit ($153,044/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $148 | $44 |
| Sales Tax | $3,028 | $200 |
| Income Tax | $269 | $1,045 |
| Intergovernmental | $19,762 | $291 |
| Charges & Fees | $7,961 | $2,228 |
| Other | $18,918 | $6,892 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,351 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,281 | $2,429 |
| Public Welfare | $2,203 | $833 |
| Health | $1,911 | $396 |
| Hospitals | $6,939 | $2,217 |
| Parks & Recreation | $4,119 | $950 |
| Housing | $9,315 | $5,791 |
| Sewerage | $1,423 | $451 |
| Utilities | $21,190 | $2,737 |
| Interest on Debt | $22,798 | $2,068 |
| General Admin | $14,899 | $0 |
| Other | $93,702 | $13,216 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.