Long Beach, CA vs Atlanta, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA spends 35% more per resident than Atlanta, GA: $34,250 against $25,457. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 18-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 Long Beach, CA at $698 per resident and in Atlanta, GA at $1,274.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Atlanta, GA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 6%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 34.5% more per capita than Atlanta ($8,793/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $419 |
| Sales Tax | $36 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $1,292 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $9,121 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $5,645 |
| Other | $8,836 | $5,461 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $315 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $464 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $513 |
| Education | $0 | $25 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $1,587 |
| Health | $477 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $55 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $1,274 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $4,594 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $343 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $8,026 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| Other | $16,533 | $8,262 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.