Long Beach, CA vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA spends 57% more per resident than Austin, TX: $34,250 against $21,772. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Austin, TX carries $1,229 per resident. 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 Austin, TX at $1,801.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Austin, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 18%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 57.3% more per capita than Austin ($12,478/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $36 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $3,247 |
| Other | $8,836 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $634 |
| Education | $0 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $1,837 |
| Health | $477 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $865 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $3,264 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| Other | $16,533 | $8,399 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.