Long Beach, CA vs Fort Worth, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Fort Worth, TX by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $15,939, a 115% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Long Beach, CA edges Fort Worth, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 67/100 (grade B) to 63/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fort Worth, TX carries $1,921 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 Fort Worth, TX at $708.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Fort Worth, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 15%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 114.9% more per capita than Fort Worth ($18,311/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)
| Sales Tax | $36 | $198 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $851 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $4,002 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $3,594 |
| Other | $8,836 | $3,439 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $156 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $317 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $869 |
| Health | $477 | $235 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $1,680 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $708 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $4,217 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $267 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $2,674 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| Other | $16,533 | $4,817 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.