Long Beach, CA vs San Antonio, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends San Antonio, TX by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $16,943, a 102% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Antonio, TX edges Long Beach, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 68/100 (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.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while San Antonio, TX carries $2,131 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 San Antonio, TX at $1,045.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas San Antonio, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 17%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 102.2% more per capita than San Antonio ($17,307/person difference). San Antonio, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 68/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $36 | $293 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $1,000 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $14,312 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $4,025 |
| Other | $8,836 | $3,184 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $396 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $158 |
| Education | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $1,188 |
| Health | $477 | $293 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $993 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $1,045 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $3,570 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $100 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $3,826 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| Other | $16,533 | $5,352 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.