Atlanta, GA vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Atlanta, GA spends 42% more per resident than San Jose, CA: $25,457 against $17,934. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA edges Atlanta, GA on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 90/100 (grade A) to 85/100 (grade A). 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. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Atlanta, GA at $1,274 per resident and in San Jose, CA at $1,424.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Atlanta, GA at 6% of total revenue, whereas San Jose, CA relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
Atlanta spends 41.9% more per capita than San Jose ($7,523/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $419 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $0 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $1,292 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,121 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,645 | $608 |
| Other | $5,461 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $315 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $464 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $513 | $0 |
| Education | $25 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,587 | $810 |
| Health | $0 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $55 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,274 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $4,594 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $343 | $161 |
| Utilities | $8,026 | $2,533 |
| Other | $8,262 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.