Oakland, CA vs Long Beach, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Long Beach, CA and Oakland, CA spend within 14.0% of each other per resident — $34,250 versus $30,055 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Oakland, CA edges Long Beach, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 72/100 (grade B) to 67/100 (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 Long Beach, CA leads with parks and recreation at $698.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oakland, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Long Beach, CA relies most on other revenue at 12%.
Summary
Long Beach spends 12.2% more per capita than Oakland ($4,196/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)
| Sales Tax | $522 | $36 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,760 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $1,688 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,424 |
| Other | $4,337 | $8,836 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $1,317 |
| Health | $1,016 | $477 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $2,751 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $698 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $5,782 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $86 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,889 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $2,718 |
| Other | $13,929 | $16,533 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.