Jacksonville, FL vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Jacksonville, FL outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $31,456 versus $17,934, a 75% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Jacksonville, FL — a 37-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Jose, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Jacksonville, FL carries $2,821 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Jacksonville, FL at 14% of total revenue, whereas San Jose, CA relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
Jacksonville spends 75.4% more per capita than San Jose ($13,522/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $608 |
| Other | $4,705 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $810 |
| Health | $332 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $161 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $2,533 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $0 |
| Other | $9,771 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.