Detroit, MI vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA and Detroit, MI spend within 10.2% of each other per resident — $34,250 versus $31,087 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Detroit, MI edges Long Beach, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 69/100 (grade B) to 67/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Detroit, MI carries $776 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429 per resident, while Long Beach, CA leads with parks and recreation at $698.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 15% of total revenue in Detroit, MI and 12% in Long Beach, CA.
Summary
Long Beach spends 9.2% more per capita than Detroit ($3,163/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $44 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $200 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $1,045 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $291 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,228 | $2,424 |
| Other | $6,892 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $2,429 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $833 | $1,317 |
| Health | $396 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $2,217 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $950 | $698 |
| Housing | $5,791 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $451 | $86 |
| Utilities | $2,737 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,068 | $2,718 |
| Other | $13,216 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.