Oakland, CA vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA outspends Houston, TX by a wide margin per resident — $30,055 versus $14,400, a 109% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 72/100 (grade B) for Oakland, CA — a 11-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while Houston, TX leads with parks and recreation at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oakland, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Oakland spends 108.7% more per capita than Houston ($15,655/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $522 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,475 |
| Other | $4,337 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $533 |
| Health | $1,016 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $361 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $386 |
| Utilities | $0 | $1,339 |
| Other | $13,929 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.