Las Vegas, NV vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Jose, CA outspends Las Vegas, NV by a wide margin per resident — $17,934 versus $9,085, a 97% 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 82/100 (grade A) for Las Vegas, NV — a 8-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. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Las Vegas, NV at $1,028 per resident and in San Jose, CA at $1,424.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 34% of total revenue in Las Vegas, NV and 9% in San Jose, CA.
Summary
San Jose spends 49.3% more per capita than Las Vegas ($8,849/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 | $50 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $386 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,137 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $608 |
| Other | $2,806 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $945 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $280 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $45 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $705 | $810 |
| Health | $0 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $356 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,028 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $23 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $332 | $161 |
| Utilities | $129 | $2,533 |
| Other | $5,243 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.