Long Beach, CA vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $17,934, a 91% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 67/100 (grade B) for Long Beach, CA — a 23-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. 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 Jose, CA at $1,424.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 12% of total revenue in Long Beach, CA and 9% in San Jose, CA.
Summary
Long Beach spends 91.0% more per capita than San Jose ($16,316/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $36 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $608 |
| Other | $8,836 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $810 |
| Health | $477 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $161 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $2,533 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $0 |
| Other | $16,533 | $6,247 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.