San Jose, CA vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $17,934, a 141% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 37-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424 per resident, while San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 9% of total revenue in San Jose, CA and 39% in San Diego, CA.
Summary
San Diego spends 58.6% more per capita than San Jose ($25,372/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $40 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $14 |
| Other | $3,519 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $700 |
| Health | $609 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $436 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $43 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $11,704 |
| Other | $6,247 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.