Oakland, CA vs Los Angeles, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Los Angeles, CA outspends Oakland, CA by a wide margin per resident — $85,432 versus $30,055, a 184% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 47/100 (grade D) for Los Angeles, CA — a 25-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 Los Angeles, CA leads with police at $4,111.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oakland, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Los Angeles, CA relies most on other revenue at 51%.
Summary
Los Angeles spends 64.8% more per capita than Oakland ($55,378/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 | $64 |
| Sales Tax | $522 | $77 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $307 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $134 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $459 |
| Other | $4,337 | $9,048 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $4,111 |
| Fire Protection | $1 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $503 |
| Education | $0 | $829 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $1,286 |
| Health | $1,016 | $409 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $2,135 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $1,347 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $6,325 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $34 |
| Utilities | $0 | $21,992 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $630 |
| General Admin | $0 | $11,586 |
| Other | $13,929 | $33,189 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.