Long Beach, CA vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA and Oakland, CA spend within 14.0% of each other per resident — $34,250 versus $30,055 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Oakland, CA edges Long Beach, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 72/100 (grade B) to 67/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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 Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Oakland, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 14.0% more per capita than Oakland ($4,196/person difference). Oakland, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $36 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $0 |
| Other | $8,836 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $1 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $2,426 |
| Health | $477 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $955 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $0 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| Other | $16,533 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.