Wichita, KS vs San Francisco, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $184,131 versus $7,986, a 2206% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — a 42-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Wichita, KS carries the lighter load at $132 per resident versus $2,031 for San Francisco, CA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Wichita, KS at $874 per resident and in San Francisco, CA at $4,119.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Wichita, KS and 7% in San Francisco, CA.
Summary
San Francisco spends 95.7% more per capita than Wichita ($176,145/person difference). Wichita, KS 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 | $0 | $148 |
| Sales Tax | $246 | $3,028 |
| Income Tax | $57 | $269 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,895 | $19,762 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,193 | $7,961 |
| Other | $2,783 | $18,918 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,351 |
| Fire Protection | $152 | $2,281 |
| Highways & Roads | $126 | $0 |
| Education | $2 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $441 | $2,203 |
| Health | $254 | $1,911 |
| Hospitals | $113 | $6,939 |
| Parks & Recreation | $874 | $4,119 |
| Housing | $2,618 | $9,315 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $1,423 |
| Utilities | $1,225 | $21,190 |
| Interest on Debt | $70 | $22,798 |
| General Admin | $0 | $14,899 |
| Other | $2,111 | $93,702 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.