New York, NY vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
New York, NY outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $129,119 versus $17,934, a 620% 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 64/100 (grade C) for New York, NY — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Jose, 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 San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in New York, NY at 14% of total revenue, whereas San Jose, CA relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
New York spends 620.0% more per capita than San Jose ($111,185/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 | $5 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $399 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $19 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $20,520 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,835 | $608 |
| Other | $3,593 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,512 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $11,050 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $221 | $0 |
| Education | $37,892 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,116 | $810 |
| Health | $417 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $6,467 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $868 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $7,137 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $315 | $161 |
| Utilities | $13,371 | $2,533 |
| Interest on Debt | $11,706 | $0 |
| General Admin | $11,668 | $0 |
| Other | $25,380 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.