Oakland, CA vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA spends 38% more per resident than Austin, TX: $30,055 against $21,772. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX edges Oakland, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 75/100 (grade B) to 72/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Austin, TX carries $1,229 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while Austin, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,801.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Oakland, CA and 18% in Austin, TX.
Summary
Oakland spends 38.0% more per capita than Austin ($8,283/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $522 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,247 |
| Other | $4,337 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1 | $634 |
| Education | $0 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $1,837 |
| Health | $1,016 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $865 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,264 |
| Other | $13,929 | $8,399 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.