Oakland, CA vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Oakland, CA by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $30,055, a 87% 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 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Oakland, CA and 16% in Philadelphia, PA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 46.6% more per capita than Oakland ($26,217/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 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,790 |
| Other | $4,337 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $1 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $1,456 |
| Health | $1,016 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $593 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $325 |
| Utilities | $0 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $13,929 | $30,692 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.