Long Beach, CA vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX and Long Beach, CA spend within 1.7% of each other per resident — $34,849 versus $34,250 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Long Beach, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 67/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Dallas, TX — a 10-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. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Long Beach, CA leads with parks and recreation at $698 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Dallas, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 22%.
Summary
Dallas spends 1.7% more per capita than Long Beach ($599/person difference). Long Beach, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $36 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $0 |
| Other | $8,836 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $215 |
| Health | $477 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $0 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $833 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $16,533 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.