Austin, TX vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA spends 38% more per resident than Austin, TX: $30,055 against $21,772. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX edges Oakland, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 75/100 (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.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Austin, TX carries $1,229 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Austin, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,801 per resident, while Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 18% of total revenue in Austin, TX and 100% in Oakland, CA.
Summary
Oakland spends 27.6% more per capita than Austin ($8,283/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $526 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $1,465 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,031 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,247 | $0 |
| Other | $5,645 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $634 | $1 |
| Education | $51 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,837 | $2,426 |
| Health | $517 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $664 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,801 | $955 |
| Housing | $3,741 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $865 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $3,264 | $0 |
| Other | $8,399 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.