Fresno, CA vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends Las Vegas, NV by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $9,085, a 378% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 32-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942 per resident, while Las Vegas, NV leads with parks and recreation at $1,028.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 19% of total revenue in Fresno, CA and 34% in Las Vegas, NV.
Summary
Fresno spends 377.5% more per capita than Las Vegas ($34,302/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $337 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $19 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $501 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | -$4,470 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $11 | $0 |
| Other | $2,070 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,261 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $568 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $45 |
| Education | $3,942 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,946 | $705 |
| Health | $599 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $76 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $2,856 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $332 |
| Utilities | $15,340 | $129 |
| Interest on Debt | $255 | $0 |
| Other | $14,545 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.