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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fresno, CA vs San Jose, CA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Fresno spends 141.9% more per capita than San Jose ($25,453/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fresno
San Jose
Total Spending
$23.5B
$18.0B
Spending / Capita
$43,387
$17,934
Total Revenue
$6.0B
$38.1B
Revenue / Capita
$10,998
$38,091
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
541,528
1,001,176
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Fresno$3,261
San Jose$0
Fire Protection
Fresno$568
San Jose$0
Parks & Recreation
Fresno$76
San Jose$1,424
Education
Fresno$3,942
San Jose$0
Health
Fresno$599
San Jose$609

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoSan Jose
Property Tax
$337
$40
Sales Tax
$19
$315
Income Tax
$501
$1,935
Intergovernmental
-$4,470
$2,680
Charges & Fees
$11
$608
Other
$2,070
$3,519

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FresnoSan Jose
Police
$3,261
$0
Fire Protection
$568
$0
Education
$3,942
$0
Public Welfare
$1,946
$810
Health
$599
$609
Hospitals
$0
$1,254
Parks & Recreation
$76
$1,424
Housing
$2,856
$4,897
Sewerage
$0
$161
Utilities
$15,340
$2,533
Interest on Debt
$255
$0
Other
$14,545
$6,247
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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