Albuquerque, NM vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Albuquerque, NM by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $17,237, a 99% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 14-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Albuquerque, NM at $1,990 per resident and in Long Beach, CA at $698.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Albuquerque, NM at 11% of total revenue, whereas Long Beach, CA relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 49.7% more per capita than Albuquerque ($17,013/person difference). Albuquerque, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $36 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $355 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $1,580 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,897 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,633 | $2,424 |
| Other | $2,174 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $440 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $172 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $419 | $1,317 |
| Health | $291 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $328 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,990 | $698 |
| Housing | $4,080 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $86 |
| Utilities | $5,212 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,096 | $2,718 |
| Other | $3,209 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.