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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend
D

Grade D Cities — Below-Average Fiscal Health

Cities scoring 35-49 on our Fiscal Health Index — significant fiscal challenges including high debt, pension shortfalls, or budget imbalances.

Grade AGrade BGrade CGrade DGrade F
Cities
102
Total Population
18.3M
Avg Spending/Capita
$51,025
Avg Debt/Capita
$898

All 102 Grade D Cities

Orange, CA

Pop. 139K

D
Total Spending
$51.6B
Per Capita
$372,005

Brockton, MA

Pop. 105K

D
Total Spending
$6.1B
Per Capita
$58,373

New Bedford, MA

Pop. 101K

D
Total Spending
$5.0B
Per Capita
$49,215

Revere, MA

Pop. 61K

D
Total Spending
$2.8B
Per Capita
$45,493

San Francisco, CA

Pop. 851K

D
Total Spending
$156.7B
Per Capita
$184,131

South Fulton, GA

Pop. 108K

D
Total Spending
$2.5B
Per Capita
$23,211

South Bend, IN

Pop. 103K

D
Total Spending
$3.7B
Per Capita
$35,719

Bloomington, MN

Pop. 89K

D
Total Spending
$1.9B
Per Capita
$21,342

Ocala, FL

Pop. 64K

D
Total Spending
$2.2B
Per Capita
$34,878

Peabody, MA

Pop. 54K

D
Total Spending
$2.5B
Per Capita
$46,262

Los Angeles, CA

Pop. 3.9M

D
Total Spending
$331.6B
Per Capita
$85,432

Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN

Pop. 684K

D
Total Spending
$33.5B
Per Capita
$48,948

Virginia Beach, VA

Pop. 458K

D
Total Spending
$19.5B
Per Capita
$42,515

Rochester, NY

Pop. 211K

D
Total Spending
$15.9B
Per Capita
$75,154

Pembroke Pines, FL

Pop. 170K

D
Total Spending
$4.0B
Per Capita
$23,266

Burbank, CA

Pop. 106K

D
Total Spending
$2.9B
Per Capita
$26,877

Cranston, RI

Pop. 83K

D
Total Spending
$3.4B
Per Capita
$41,543

Schenectady, NY

Pop. 68K

D
Total Spending
$3.0B
Per Capita
$44,459

New Brunswick, NJ

Pop. 56K

D
Total Spending
$3.9B
Per Capita
$70,317

West Haven, CT

Pop. 55K

D
Total Spending
$2.1B
Per Capita
$37,224

Norfolk, VA

Pop. 237K

D
Total Spending
$12.1B
Per Capita
$50,880

Ann Arbor, MI

Pop. 122K

D
Total Spending
$2.7B
Per Capita
$22,006

Carlsbad, CA

Pop. 115K

D
Total Spending
$3.0B
Per Capita
$26,553

Gresham, OR

Pop. 114K

D
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$10,840

San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA

Pop. 110K

D
Total Spending
$24.3B
Per Capita
$220,511

Auburn, WA

Pop. 86K

D
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$14,129

Framingham, MA

Pop. 72K

D
Total Spending
$3.7B
Per Capita
$51,890

Greenville, SC

Pop. 71K

D
Total Spending
$3.1B
Per Capita
$43,093

Decatur, AL

Pop. 58K

D
Total Spending
$988.6M
Per Capita
$17,185

Normal, IL

Pop. 53K

D
Total Spending
$901.1M
Per Capita
$17,027

Philadelphia, PA

Pop. 1.6M

D
Total Spending
$89.7B
Per Capita
$56,272

Urban Honolulu, HI

Pop. 349K

D
Total Spending
$21.4B
Per Capita
$61,430

Richmond, VA

Pop. 227K

D
Total Spending
$14.0B
Per Capita
$61,661

Vancouver, WA

Pop. 191K

D
Total Spending
$2.6B
Per Capita
$13,434

Naperville, IL

Pop. 149K

D
Total Spending
$2.3B
Per Capita
$15,751

Santa Monica, CA

Pop. 92K

D
Total Spending
$7.4B
Per Capita
$79,891

Rancho Cordova, CA

Pop. 79K

D
Total Spending
$2.3B
Per Capita
$28,628

Pawtucket, RI

Pop. 75K

D
Total Spending
$3.2B
Per Capita
$42,799

Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Pop. 51K

D
Total Spending
$581.7M
Per Capita
$11,425

Fort Collins, CO

Pop. 169K

D
Total Spending
$4.4B
Per Capita
$26,163

Springfield, MA

Pop. 155K

D
Total Spending
$10.2B
Per Capita
$65,626

Murfreesboro, TN

Pop. 153K

D
Total Spending
$2.9B
Per Capita
$18,812

Lafayette, LA

Pop. 122K

D
Total Spending
$3.7B
Per Capita
$30,028

New Britain, CT

Pop. 74K

D
Total Spending
$3.5B
Per Capita
$47,715

Camden, NJ

Pop. 72K

D
Total Spending
$4.0B
Per Capita
$55,742

Orland Park, IL

Pop. 58K

D
Total Spending
$916.5M
Per Capita
$15,708

Lake Havasu City, AZ

Pop. 57K

D
Total Spending
$946.6M
Per Capita
$16,521

Madison, AL

Pop. 57K

D
Total Spending
$1.5B
Per Capita
$26,015

Edina, MN

Pop. 53K

D
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$20,714

Glendale, CA

Pop. 195K

D
Total Spending
$5.5B
Per Capita
$28,345

Hollywood, FL

Pop. 153K

D
Total Spending
$4.4B
Per Capita
$28,774

Hillsboro, OR

Pop. 107K

D
Total Spending
$2.0B
Per Capita
$18,698

Boulder, CO

Pop. 107K

D
Total Spending
$4.2B
Per Capita
$39,636

Quincy, MA

Pop. 101K

D
Total Spending
$4.8B
Per Capita
$47,287

Merced, CA

Pop. 88K

D
Total Spending
$6.8B
Per Capita
$77,022

Broomfield, CO

Pop. 74K

D
Total Spending
$3.9B
Per Capita
$52,307

East Orange, NJ

Pop. 69K

D
Total Spending
$4.8B
Per Capita
$69,459

Delray Beach, FL

Pop. 67K

D
Total Spending
$3.2B
Per Capita
$47,360

Grand Junction, CO

Pop. 66K

D
Total Spending
$1.5B
Per Capita
$21,998

Brookline, MA

Pop. 63K

D
Total Spending
$3.6B
Per Capita
$58,050

Council Bluffs, IA

Pop. 63K

D
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$17,662

West New York, NJ

Pop. 52K

D
Total Spending
$3.0B
Per Capita
$56,635

Grand Rapids, MI

Pop. 198K

D
Total Spending
$4.4B
Per Capita
$22,146

Norman, OK

Pop. 128K

D
Total Spending
$7.1B
Per Capita
$55,648

Greeley, CO

Pop. 108K

D
Total Spending
$1.9B
Per Capita
$17,366

Lynn, MA

Pop. 101K

D
Total Spending
$5.5B
Per Capita
$54,972

Sunrise, FL

Pop. 97K

D
Total Spending
$2.3B
Per Capita
$23,839

Erie, PA

Pop. 95K

D
Total Spending
$4.1B
Per Capita
$43,394

Wyoming, MI

Pop. 77K

D
Total Spending
$698.8M
Per Capita
$9,107

Flagstaff, AZ

Pop. 76K

D
Total Spending
$1.8B
Per Capita
$23,554

Waltham, MA

Pop. 65K

D
Total Spending
$2.9B
Per Capita
$45,238

Maricopa, AZ

Pop. 60K

D
Total Spending
$23.7B
Per Capita
$398,381

East Hartford, CT

Pop. 51K

D
Total Spending
$2.6B
Per Capita
$50,447

Washington, DC

Pop. 671K

D
Total Spending
$163.2B
Per Capita
$243,341

Chesapeake, VA

Pop. 249K

D
Total Spending
$11.4B
Per Capita
$45,860

Waterbury, CT

Pop. 114K

D
Total Spending
$6.3B
Per Capita
$55,426

Boca Raton, FL

Pop. 98K

D
Total Spending
$3.8B
Per Capita
$38,696

Fall River, MA

Pop. 94K

D
Total Spending
$3.9B
Per Capita
$41,251

Gastonia, NC

Pop. 81K

D
Total Spending
$1.2B
Per Capita
$14,726

Napa, CA

Pop. 79K

D
Total Spending
$4.4B
Per Capita
$55,211

Lynchburg, VA

Pop. 79K

D
Total Spending
$3.3B
Per Capita
$42,197

Idaho Falls, ID

Pop. 66K

D
Total Spending
$934.8M
Per Capita
$14,232

San Bernardino, CA

Pop. 221K

D
Total Spending
$52.7B
Per Capita
$238,232

Joliet, IL

Pop. 150K

D
Total Spending
$2.8B
Per Capita
$18,675

Lawrence, KS

Pop. 95K

D
Total Spending
$4.8B
Per Capita
$50,571

Cheyenne, WY

Pop. 65K

D
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$16,585

Bristol, CT

Pop. 61K

D
Total Spending
$2.7B
Per Capita
$44,977

Jonesboro, AR

Pop. 78K

D
Total Spending
$709.8M
Per Capita
$9,056

Lakewood, NJ

Pop. 69K

D
Total Spending
$910.2M
Per Capita
$13,278

Manchester, NH

Pop. 115K

D
Total Spending
$4.3B
Per Capita
$37,307

Loveland, CO

Pop. 77K

D
Total Spending
$2.1B
Per Capita
$27,220

Canton, OH

Pop. 71K

D
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$16,223

Troy, MI

Pop. 87K

D
Total Spending
$1.1B
Per Capita
$12,700

Yuba City, CA

Pop. 70K

D
Total Spending
$2.3B
Per Capita
$33,705

Lawrence, MA

Pop. 88K

D
Total Spending
$4.6B
Per Capita
$52,564

Castle Rock, CO

Pop. 74K

D
Total Spending
$1.4B
Per Capita
$18,283

Redmond, WA

Pop. 74K

D
Total Spending
$1.5B
Per Capita
$20,331

Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY

Pop. 629K

D
Total Spending
$12.7B
Per Capita
$20,200

Newton, MA

Pop. 88K

D
Total Spending
$5.3B
Per Capita
$60,337

Palo Alto, CA

Pop. 68K

D
Total Spending
$2.7B
Per Capita
$40,221

Haverhill, MA

Pop. 67K

D
Total Spending
$2.6B
Per Capita
$39,362

Harrisonburg, VA

Pop. 52K

D
Total Spending
$2.2B
Per Capita
$41,689

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a Grade D fiscal health score mean?

Below average — significant fiscal challenges in multiple areas

How many US cities have a Grade D?

There are 102 cities with a Grade D fiscal health score out of 871 cities tracked. This represents 11.7% of all cities in our database.

What factors determine a city's fiscal health grade?

Our Fiscal Health Score weighs six factors: budget balance and reserves (25%), debt burden vs. peers (20%), pension funding ratio (20%), spending efficiency (15%), revenue diversity (10%), and three-year fiscal trend (10%). Cities scoring 35-49 earn a Grade D.

What is the average spending per capita for Grade D cities?

Grade D cities spend an average of $51,025 per resident annually. Their average debt per capita is $898. These figures are based on U.S. Census Bureau data.

Data: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. Fiscal Health Scores are proprietary composite scores — see methodology.