Oakland, CA vs Baltimore, MD
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baltimore, MD outspends Oakland, CA by a wide margin per resident — $67,935 versus $30,055, a 126% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Oakland, CA edges Baltimore, MD on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 72/100 (grade B) to 70/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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 Baltimore, MD leads with education at $35,510.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Oakland, CA and 7% in Baltimore, MD.
Summary
Baltimore spends 55.8% more per capita than Oakland ($37,880/person difference). Oakland, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $84 |
| Sales Tax | $522 | $55 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $375 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $5,085 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,192 |
| Other | $4,337 | $4,765 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $820 |
| Fire Protection | $1 | $1,214 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $676 |
| Education | $0 | $35,510 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $714 |
| Health | $1,016 | $757 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $1,877 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $384 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $4,087 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $87 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,809 |
| General Admin | $0 | $19 |
| Other | $13,929 | $17,981 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.