Denver, CO vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Denver, CO and Oakland, CA spend within 11.7% of each other per resident — $33,582 versus $30,055 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 51/100 (grade C) for Denver, CO — a 21-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Denver, CO carries $5,126 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Denver, CO leads with parks and recreation at $3,319 per resident, while Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 37% of total revenue in Denver, CO and 100% in Oakland, CA.
Summary
Denver spends 11.7% more per capita than Oakland ($3,528/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 | $2,070 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $236 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $44,661 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $5,207 | $0 |
| Other | $10,100 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $2,455 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,668 | $1 |
| Highways & Roads | $475 | $0 |
| Education | $821 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $764 | $2,426 |
| Health | $693 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $2,855 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,319 | $955 |
| Housing | $3,565 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $293 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $4,292 | $0 |
| Interest on Debt | $7 | $0 |
| General Admin | $364 | $0 |
| Other | $12,011 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.