Los Angeles, CA vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Los Angeles, CA outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $85,432 versus $17,934, a 376% 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 47/100 (grade D) for Los Angeles, CA — a 43-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. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Los Angeles, CA leads with police at $4,111 per resident, while San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 51% of total revenue in Los Angeles, CA and 9% in San Jose, CA.
Summary
Los Angeles spends 376.4% more per capita than San Jose ($67,498/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 | $64 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $77 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $307 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $134 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $459 | $608 |
| Other | $9,048 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $4,111 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,057 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $503 | $0 |
| Education | $829 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,286 | $810 |
| Health | $409 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $2,135 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,347 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $6,325 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $34 | $161 |
| Utilities | $21,992 | $2,533 |
| Interest on Debt | $630 | $0 |
| General Admin | $11,586 | $0 |
| Other | $33,189 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.