Fresno, CA vs Los Angeles, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Los Angeles, CA outspends Fresno, CA by a wide margin per resident — $85,432 versus $43,387, a 97% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Fresno, CA edges Los Angeles, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 50/100 (grade C) to 47/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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 Los Angeles, CA leads with police at $4,111.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 19% of total revenue in Fresno, CA and 51% in Los Angeles, CA.
Summary
Los Angeles spends 49.2% more per capita than Fresno ($42,045/person difference). Fresno, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 50/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $337 | $64 |
| Sales Tax | $19 | $77 |
| Income Tax | $501 | $307 |
| Intergovernmental | -$4,470 | $134 |
| Charges & Fees | $11 | $459 |
| Other | $2,070 | $9,048 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,261 | $4,111 |
| Fire Protection | $568 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $503 |
| Education | $3,942 | $829 |
| Public Welfare | $1,946 | $1,286 |
| Health | $599 | $409 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,135 |
| Parks & Recreation | $76 | $1,347 |
| Housing | $2,856 | $6,325 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $34 |
| Utilities | $15,340 | $21,992 |
| Interest on Debt | $255 | $630 |
| General Admin | $0 | $11,586 |
| Other | $14,545 | $33,189 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.