Skip to main content
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.

The this entity category groups every U.S. municipal and county government finances entity sharing this attribute. The list above is the data; the paragraphs below explain what the grouping means against the broader the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances distribution and how to read the relative rankings within the category.

For readers using this category as a starting point, the per-entity detail pages linked from the table above carry the underlying the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances data in full. The category-level view is the filter; the per-entity pages are the actual answer.

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.