Los Angeles, CA vs New York, NY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
New York, NY spends 51% more per resident than Los Angeles, CA: $129,119 against $85,432. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
New York, NY holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 64/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Los Angeles, CA — a 17-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Los Angeles, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while New York, NY carries $462 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Los Angeles, CA leads with police at $4,111 per resident, while New York, NY leads with education at $37,892.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Los Angeles, CA at 51% of total revenue, whereas New York, NY relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 14%.
Summary
New York spends 33.8% more per capita than Los Angeles ($43,687/person difference). New York, NY has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 64/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $64 | $5 |
| Sales Tax | $77 | $399 |
| Income Tax | $307 | $19 |
| Intergovernmental | $134 | $20,520 |
| Charges & Fees | $459 | $1,835 |
| Other | $9,048 | $3,593 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $4,111 | $1,512 |
| Fire Protection | $1,057 | $11,050 |
| Highways & Roads | $503 | $221 |
| Education | $829 | $37,892 |
| Public Welfare | $1,286 | $1,116 |
| Health | $409 | $417 |
| Hospitals | $2,135 | $6,467 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,347 | $868 |
| Housing | $6,325 | $7,137 |
| Sewerage | $34 | $315 |
| Utilities | $21,992 | $13,371 |
| Interest on Debt | $630 | $11,706 |
| General Admin | $11,586 | $11,668 |
| Other | $33,189 | $25,380 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.