Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

San Jose, CA vs San Diego, CA

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

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

City A
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
San Diego, CA
Pop. 1,383,987
C
53/100
Budget Balance14
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity96
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Jose
San Diego
Total Spending
$18.0B
$59.9B
Spending / Capita
$17,934
$43,306
Total Revenue
$38.1B
$13.4B
Revenue / Capita
$38,091
$9,662
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
1,001,176
1,383,987
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Jose$0
San Diego$3,335
Fire Protection
San Jose$0
San Diego$1,278
Highways & Roads
San Jose$0
San Diego$1,408
Parks & Recreation
San Jose$1,424
San Diego$436
Education
San Jose$0
San Diego$2,005
Health
San Jose$609
San Diego$411

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseSan Diego
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)

San JoseSan Diego
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
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
San Diego, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 53/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities