Oakland, CA vs Atlanta, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA spends 18% more per resident than Atlanta, GA: $30,055 against $25,457. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Atlanta, GA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 72/100 (grade B) for Oakland, CA — a 13-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: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while Atlanta, GA leads with parks and recreation at $1,274.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Oakland, CA and 6% in Atlanta, GA.
Summary
Oakland spends 18.1% more per capita than Atlanta ($4,597/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $419 |
| Sales Tax | $522 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,292 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $9,121 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $5,645 |
| Other | $4,337 | $5,461 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $315 |
| Fire Protection | $1 | $464 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $513 |
| Education | $0 | $25 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $1,587 |
| Health | $1,016 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $55 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $1,274 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $4,594 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $343 |
| Utilities | $0 | $8,026 |
| Other | $13,929 | $8,262 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.