Oakland, CA vs Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA spends 49% more per resident than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY: $30,055 against $20,200. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 35/100 (grade D) for Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY — a 37-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY carries $3,553 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY leads with fire protection at $1,132.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oakland, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), KY relies most on other revenue at 103%.
Summary
Oakland spends 48.8% more per capita than Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) ($9,854/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 | $1,138 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $24 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $412 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,823 |
| Other | $4,337 | $8,878 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $701 |
| Fire Protection | $1 | $1,132 |
| Education | $0 | $956 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $1,849 |
| Health | $1,016 | $379 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $779 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $1,070 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $2,382 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $249 |
| Utilities | $0 | $3,844 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,517 |
| Other | $13,929 | $5,344 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.