Long Beach, CA vs Memphis, TN
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA spends 55% more per resident than Memphis, TN: $34,250 against $22,111. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Long Beach, CA edges Memphis, TN on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 67/100 (grade B) to 65/100 (grade B). 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 Memphis, TN carries $303 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 Memphis, TN at $1,397.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Memphis, TN relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 54.9% more per capita than Memphis ($12,139/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 | $10 |
| Sales Tax | $36 | $496 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $1,218 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $34,065 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $2,077 |
| Other | $8,836 | $3,994 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $469 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $277 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $630 |
| Health | $477 | $391 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $1,677 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $1,397 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $4,683 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $2,578 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $1,158 |
| Other | $16,533 | $8,850 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.