San Francisco, CA vs Washington, DC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Washington, DC spends 32% more per resident than San Francisco, CA: $243,341 against $184,131. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Francisco, CA edges Washington, DC on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 48/100 (grade D) to 41/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, San Francisco, CA carries the lighter load at $2,031 per resident versus $2,516 for Washington, DC. 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 Washington, DC leads with education at $53,224.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 7% of total revenue in San Francisco, CA and 7% in Washington, DC.
Summary
Washington spends 24.3% more per capita than San Francisco ($59,210/person difference). San Francisco, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 48/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $148 | $25 |
| Sales Tax | $3,028 | $991 |
| Income Tax | $269 | $141 |
| Intergovernmental | $19,762 | $18,754 |
| Charges & Fees | $7,961 | $4,070 |
| Other | $18,918 | $11,518 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,351 | $4,183 |
| Fire Protection | $2,281 | $4,262 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,435 |
| Education | $0 | $53,224 |
| Public Welfare | $2,203 | $2,498 |
| Health | $1,911 | $1,009 |
| Hospitals | $6,939 | $17,668 |
| Parks & Recreation | $4,119 | $5,459 |
| Housing | $9,315 | $10,296 |
| Sewerage | $1,423 | $2,881 |
| Utilities | $21,190 | $88,990 |
| Interest on Debt | $22,798 | $58 |
| General Admin | $14,899 | $3,225 |
| Other | $93,702 | $48,155 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.