Houston, TX vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $30,055 versus $14,400, a 109% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 72/100 (grade B) for Oakland, CA — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361 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 Houston, TX at 7% of total revenue, whereas Oakland, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Oakland spends 52.1% more per capita than Houston ($15,655/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $181 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $0 |
| Other | $3,960 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $295 | $1 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $2,426 |
| Health | $210 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $955 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $0 |
| Other | $6,301 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.