Memphis, TN vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA spends 55% more per resident than Memphis, TN: $34,250 against $22,111. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Long Beach, CA edges Memphis, TN on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 67/100 (grade B) to 65/100 (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 Memphis, TN carries $303 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Memphis, TN at $1,397 per resident and in Long Beach, CA at $698.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Memphis, TN at 100% of total revenue, whereas Long Beach, CA relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 35.4% more per capita than Memphis ($12,139/person difference). Long Beach, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $496 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $1,218 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $34,065 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,077 | $2,424 |
| Other | $3,994 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $469 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $277 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $630 | $1,317 |
| Health | $391 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $1,677 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,397 | $698 |
| Housing | $4,683 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $86 |
| Utilities | $2,578 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,158 | $2,718 |
| Other | $8,850 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.