Mayor Daniel Lurie will unveil his proposal on June 1 to fund the city for the next two years.
Getting agreement on what needs to be cut stands to be the first major challenge for a new mayor who has otherwise enjoyed cordial relationships with his fellow officials and city department heads. The city faces an eye-watering $781.5 million deficit, and the prospect of a bigger hole as federal funds dry up.
But before delving into the inevitable budget changes ahead, let’s look at San Francisco’s $15.9 billion budget. Where does the money go?
Explore San Francisco’s $15.9 billion budget
Click on each department to see more details and year-over-year growth.
Data from the Budget and Appropriation Ordinance published on July 31 2024. Data shows the budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
In short: The biggest chunk of city spending goes toward streets, transportation, and commerce; things like the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency, the airport, the port, and the Public Utilities Commission.
These are also the city’s “enterprise departments,” or departments that generate their own revenue, though they sometimes also draw from the general fund. SFMTA helps fund itself through fares and parking tickets, for instance; the airport through fees on airlines; and the PUC with the help of your water and power bill.
Other departments, like the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing or the Board of Supervisors, primarily rely on revenue from the city’s general fund. That fund is sustained, in large part, by the city’s tax revenues and charges for services.
The next largest source of spending is the Department of Public Health: $3.2 billion, or about 18 percent of the total. Almost a third of that, $1.3 billion, goes toward operating San Francisco General Hospital; it’s about 7 percent of the city’s total budget, though the hospital largely pays for itself through charges for service.
More than $650 million of the health department’s budget goes toward the city’s behavioral health program. Health services and facilities, including Laguna Honda Hospital, account for another large portion.
Then there’s “welfare and neighborhood development,” the city’s term for departments governing homelessness, childcare services, and food and financial assistance.
Public safety is next: The San Francisco Police Department has a budget of $822.8 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which grew by six percent over the previous fiscal year. The fire department is at $530.8 million, and the sheriff’s department at $323.1 million.
The remaining $1.9 billion is split between an assortment of departments responsible for the day-to-day running of the city, and departments that oversee culture and recreation. That includes the Department of Human Resources, the Office of the Mayor, and the city’s retirement system.
Explore the charts below to see how San Francisco spends money across different budget categories, and importantly, where that money comes from in the first place.
Where does the revenue needed to support $15.9 billion in city services come from? Mostly taxes and fees. Taxes, mostly property taxes and business taxes, made up some 36 percent in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Charges for services, such as electricity and water, and airplane landing fees, made up about the same.
Where does that $15.9 billion come from?
Click on each department to see more details and year-over-year growth.
Data from the Budget and Appropriation Ordinance published on July 31 2024. Data shows the budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
State and federal funds were also significant: California chipped in $1.3 billion, and the feds threw in $949.8 million. Both are in danger as the state faces its own precipitous deficit and the White House turns against all manner of local programs.
The rest came from a variety of other sources, including interest and investment income, money from licenses and permit fees, as well as some rollover funds from the previous year.
Methodology
The data in this piece was obtained from the Annual Appropriation Ordinance documents published in 2024 and 2023 by the Controller’s Office.
The department totals do not include adjustments for interdepartmental transfers and recoveries. Those adjustments are included in the calculation of the $15.9 billion overall total.
Charts by Kelly Waldron. If you spot any errors, please let us know at kelly@missionlocal.com.
Can someone please explain more about the Airport. Why does it have such a big budget, how much (if anything) does it get from the general fund, can it contribute anything to the general fund, etc. Everyone says it’s an enterprise org that funds itself, but I don’t understand the implications. Does that mean its budget comes entirely from the fees it generates? It’s gorgeous, and also always under renovation. They finish renovating the third terminal and then start over on the first. It appears to be swimming in cash. The budget increase from last year alone would wipe out the city’s budget deficit, but I get the sense that its money is untouchable.
I think the airport gets federal monies and to park a plane monthly at SFO, it was $20k 10 years ago. That was for Virgin America. Just imagine how much United has to pay and any international jumbo plane? That’s how they are “self sufficient.”
One factor is that the airport is not in the city or county at all, but in San Mateo. So SF must have to pay a lot in rent to San Mateo for the facility and land. And/or else share those fee revenues with San Mateo.
To make no mention of the imminent problems rising sea levels + king tides are going to create – the entire runway system has to be redesigned. How much of this budget goes into that plan, I have no idea, but it’s not going to be cheap.
Why does the airport have an increase to 2 billion in expense while the airport commission says all the fees cover their costs includes reserves for improvements and doesn’t disclose it finances