Anaheim, CA vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA spends 28% more per resident than Anaheim, CA: $30,055 against $23,533. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Anaheim, CA edges Oakland, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 78/100 (grade B) to 72/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Anaheim, CA leads with parks and recreation at $2,078 per resident, while Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Anaheim, CA at 5% of total revenue, whereas Oakland, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Oakland spends 21.7% more per capita than Anaheim ($6,522/person difference). Anaheim, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 78/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,788 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $2,380 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,297 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,764 | $0 |
| Other | $5,232 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $254 | $1 |
| Public Welfare | $813 | $2,426 |
| Health | $358 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $4,753 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,078 | $955 |
| Housing | $5,592 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $726 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $3,943 | $0 |
| Other | $5,014 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.