Long Beach, CA vs Wichita, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $34,250 versus $7,986, a 329% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS 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.
Long Beach, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Wichita, KS carries $132 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 Wichita, KS at $874.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Long Beach, CA at 12% of total revenue, whereas Wichita, KS relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 14%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 328.9% more per capita than Wichita ($26,264/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $36 | $246 |
| Income Tax | $1,760 | $57 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,688 | $3,895 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,424 | $3,193 |
| Other | $8,836 | $2,783 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $152 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $126 |
| Education | $0 | $2 |
| Public Welfare | $1,317 | $441 |
| Health | $477 | $254 |
| Hospitals | $2,751 | $113 |
| Parks & Recreation | $698 | $874 |
| Housing | $5,782 | $2,618 |
| Sewerage | $86 | $0 |
| Utilities | $3,889 | $1,225 |
| Interest on Debt | $2,718 | $70 |
| Other | $16,533 | $2,111 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.