Fresno, CA vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA spends 44% more per resident than Oakland, CA: $43,387 against $30,055. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 22-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 Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Fresno, CA at 19% of total revenue, whereas Oakland, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Fresno spends 44.4% more per capita than Oakland ($13,333/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)
| Property Tax | $337 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $19 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $501 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | -$4,470 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $11 | $0 |
| Other | $2,070 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,261 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $568 | $1 |
| Education | $3,942 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,946 | $2,426 |
| Health | $599 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $76 | $955 |
| Housing | $2,856 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $15,340 | $0 |
| Interest on Debt | $255 | $0 |
| Other | $14,545 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.