Sandy, UT vs Salt Lake City, UT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Salt Lake City, UT outspends Sandy, UT by a wide margin per resident — $25,335 versus $8,787, a 188% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Sandy, UT holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 74/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for Salt Lake City, UT — a 22-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Sandy, UT reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Salt Lake City, UT carries $1,610 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Sandy, UT at $1,294 per resident and in Salt Lake City, UT at $1,879.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Sandy, UT at 27% of total revenue, whereas Salt Lake City, UT relies most on other revenue at 5%.
Summary
Salt Lake City spends 65.3% more per capita than Sandy ($16,548/person difference). Sandy, UT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 74/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $213 |
| Sales Tax | $661 | $1,451 |
| Income Tax | $666 | $737 |
| Intergovernmental | $554 | $4,455 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $4,537 |
| Other | $646 | $8,729 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $287 | $499 |
| Highways & Roads | $165 | $536 |
| Education | $0 | $90 |
| Public Welfare | $287 | $2,075 |
| Health | $0 | $1,244 |
| Hospitals | $154 | $470 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,294 | $1,879 |
| Housing | $2,073 | $3,710 |
| Sewerage | $143 | $371 |
| Utilities | $1,806 | $3,955 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $43 |
| Other | $2,577 | $10,462 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.