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

San Francisco, CA vs Detroit, MI

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

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

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
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Francisco
Detroit
Total Spending
$156.7B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$184,131
$31,087
Total Revenue
$232.3B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$272,907
$44,533
Total Debt
$1.7B
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$2,031
$776
Population
851,036
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Francisco$3,351
Detroit$0
Fire Protection
San Francisco$2,281
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
San Francisco$4,119
Detroit$950
Health
San Francisco$1,911
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San FranciscoDetroit
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)

San FranciscoDetroit
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
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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