CA City Is Nation's Worst-Run, Again, Study Finds

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — San Francisco is the worst-run big city in the United States, according to a new study from Wallethub that measures how effectively city leaders spend their funds.

Golden State cities from Los Angeles to San Francisco dominated the list of the top 10 worst-run cities in the nation, but local officials argue the list is deeply flawed. In all, five California cities made the top 10 worst-run cities, and none were ranked among the best-run cities in the nation.

The personal finance website ranked 148 of the nation’s largest cities based on a “Quality of Services” score made up of 36 metrics measured against cities' per-capita budgets. San Francisco's budget is extremely high, given that the city also functions as a county. The study ranked San Francisco last, concluding residents deserve better services for the amount of money spent.

“The best-run cities in America use their budgets most effectively to provide high-quality financial security, education, health, safety and transportation to their residents. Many of the top cities also have a very low amount of outstanding government debt per capita, which can prevent financial troubles in the future," said Chip Lupo, a Wallethub analyst.

The metrics were grouped into six categories that informed the Quality of City Services score: Financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution. San Francisco was ranked No. 89 in “Financial Stability,” No. 137 in “Education,” No. 2 in “Health,” No. 102 in “Safety,” and No. 135 in "economy" and No. 13 in “Infrastructure & Pollution.” SF was ranked overall No. 57 in the quality of services score.

What dropped it to last place overall is its long-term debt outstanding per capita and high school graduation rate, which both ranked last.

San Francisco has ranked last or near-last on this study for the past few years, and in 2022, San Francisco City Controller Ben Rosenfield and Chief Economist Ted Egan criticized the study, saying that many of the services listed were not actually under the control of the city budget, like county hospitals or school districts. Rosenfield and Egan told Newsweek that “local government as a percentage of county GDP would have been a far better measure.”

A Wallethub spokesperson responded that while a city administration does not have full control over all measures, it can influence them.

In the most recent study, San Francisco’s next-door neighbor Oakland ranked No. 146, with a services rank of No. 99. Fresno was ranked No. 141, with a services rank of 117. Long Beach ranked No. 140, with a services rank of 51, while Los Angeles was No. 139, with a services rank of 58 and ranking in the bottom of air pollution and quality of roads.

The top performing city was Provo, Utah, which ranked No. 5 in services and No. 2 in budget per capita.

Below are the 10 Best and 10 Worst run cities, according to the study. The bottom includes most of the nation's major cities, while the top cities are relatively small.

10 Best

1. Provo, Utah
2. Nampa, Idaho
3. Manchester, New Hampshire
4. Boise, Idaho
5. Nashua, New Hampshire
6. Dover, Delaware
7. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
8. Lincoln, Nebraska
9. Virginia Beach, Virginia
10. Fort Wayne, Indiana

10 Worst

1. San Francisco, California
2. Detroit, Michigan
3. Oakland, California
4. New York, New York
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6. Baltimore, Maryland
7. Tacoma, Washington
8. Fresno, California
9. Long Beach, California
10. Los Angeles, California

See here for the full rankings, and more about the methodology.