New York, NY vs Los Angeles, CA
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: New York, NY leads with education at $37,892 per resident, while Los Angeles, CA leads with police at $4,111.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in New York, NY at 14% of total revenue, whereas Los Angeles, CA relies most on other revenue at 51%.
Summary
New York spends 51.1% 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 | $5 | $64 |
| Sales Tax | $399 | $77 |
| Income Tax | $19 | $307 |
| Intergovernmental | $20,520 | $134 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,835 | $459 |
| Other | $3,593 | $9,048 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,512 | $4,111 |
| Fire Protection | $11,050 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $221 | $503 |
| Education | $37,892 | $829 |
| Public Welfare | $1,116 | $1,286 |
| Health | $417 | $409 |
| Hospitals | $6,467 | $2,135 |
| Parks & Recreation | $868 | $1,347 |
| Housing | $7,137 | $6,325 |
| Sewerage | $315 | $34 |
| Utilities | $13,371 | $21,992 |
| Interest on Debt | $11,706 | $630 |
| General Admin | $11,668 | $11,586 |
| Other | $25,380 | $33,189 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.