Colorado Springs, CO vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA outspends Colorado Springs, CO by a wide margin per resident — $30,055 versus $13,222, a 127% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 59/100 (grade C) for Colorado Springs, CO — a 13-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Colorado Springs, CO carries $3,063 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Colorado Springs, CO leads with fire protection at $1,266 per resident, while Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 13% of total revenue in Colorado Springs, CO and 100% in Oakland, CA.
Summary
Oakland spends 56.0% more per capita than Colorado Springs ($16,832/person difference). Oakland, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $257 | $522 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,902 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,676 | $0 |
| Other | $2,678 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,266 | $1 |
| Public Welfare | $575 | $2,426 |
| Health | $0 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $416 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $376 | $955 |
| Housing | $2,713 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $2,566 | $0 |
| Interest on Debt | $190 | $0 |
| Other | $5,120 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.