Washington, DC vs San Francisco, CA
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: Washington, DC leads with education at $53,224 per resident, while San Francisco, CA leads with parks and recreation at $4,119.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 7% of total revenue in Washington, DC and 7% in San Francisco, CA.
Summary
Washington spends 32.2% 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 | $25 | $148 |
| Sales Tax | $991 | $3,028 |
| Income Tax | $141 | $269 |
| Intergovernmental | $18,754 | $19,762 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,070 | $7,961 |
| Other | $11,518 | $18,918 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $4,183 | $3,351 |
| Fire Protection | $4,262 | $2,281 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,435 | $0 |
| Education | $53,224 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,498 | $2,203 |
| Health | $1,009 | $1,911 |
| Hospitals | $17,668 | $6,939 |
| Parks & Recreation | $5,459 | $4,119 |
| Housing | $10,296 | $9,315 |
| Sewerage | $2,881 | $1,423 |
| Utilities | $88,990 | $21,190 |
| Interest on Debt | $58 | $22,798 |
| General Admin | $3,225 | $14,899 |
| Other | $48,155 | $93,702 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.