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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Oakland, CA vs Omaha, NE

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Oakland, CA outspends Omaha, NE by a wide margin per resident — $30,055 versus $11,180, a 169% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Omaha, NE holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 72/100 (grade B) for Oakland, CA — a 18-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 Omaha, NE leads with parks and recreation at $742.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oakland, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Omaha, NE relies most on other revenue at 17%.

Summary

Oakland spends 168.8% more per capita than Omaha ($18,874/person difference). Omaha, NE has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Oakland, CA
Pop. 437,825
B
72/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency43
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Omaha, NE
Pop. 489,201
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Oakland
Omaha
Total Spending
$13.2B
$5.5B
Spending / Capita
$30,055
$11,180
Total Revenue
$18.5B
$13.2B
Revenue / Capita
$42,277
$26,929
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
437,825
489,201
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Oakland$1
Omaha$0
Highways & Roads
Oakland$0
Omaha$319
Parks & Recreation
Oakland$955
Omaha$742
Health
Oakland$1,016
Omaha$456

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

OaklandOmaha
Property Tax
$0
$624
Sales Tax
$522
$373
Intergovernmental
$42,277
$2,622
Other
$4,337
$4,672

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

OaklandOmaha
Fire Protection
$1
$0
Highways & Roads
$0
$319
Public Welfare
$2,426
$1,521
Health
$1,016
$456
Hospitals
$2,498
$0
Parks & Recreation
$955
$742
Housing
$7,811
$3,045
Sewerage
$1,417
$0
Utilities
$0
$581
Other
$13,929
$4,516
B
Oakland, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 72/100
Good fiscal health
A
Omaha, NE
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.