San Francisco, CA vs New York, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA spends 43% more per resident than New York, NY: $184,131 against $129,119. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
New York, NY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 64/100 (grade C) against 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — a 16-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, New York, NY carries the lighter load at $462 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 New York, NY leads with education at $37,892.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 7% of total revenue in San Francisco, CA and 14% in New York, NY.
Summary
San Francisco spends 42.6% more per capita than New York ($55,012/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $148 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $3,028 | $399 |
| Income Tax | $269 | $19 |
| Intergovernmental | $19,762 | $20,520 |
| Charges & Fees | $7,961 | $1,835 |
| Other | $18,918 | $3,593 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,351 | $1,512 |
| Fire Protection | $2,281 | $11,050 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $221 |
| Education | $0 | $37,892 |
| Public Welfare | $2,203 | $1,116 |
| Health | $1,911 | $417 |
| Hospitals | $6,939 | $6,467 |
| Parks & Recreation | $4,119 | $868 |
| Housing | $9,315 | $7,137 |
| Sewerage | $1,423 | $315 |
| Utilities | $21,190 | $13,371 |
| Interest on Debt | $22,798 | $11,706 |
| General Admin | $14,899 | $11,668 |
| Other | $93,702 | $25,380 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.