Oakland, CA vs Sacramento, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends Oakland, CA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $30,055, a 136% 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 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 15-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 Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oakland, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Sacramento, CA relies most on other revenue at 8%.
Summary
Sacramento spends 57.7% more per capita than Oakland ($40,966/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 | $1,465 |
| Sales Tax | $522 | $378 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $3,104 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $3,400 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,239 |
| Other | $4,337 | $5,072 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $5,402 |
| Fire Protection | $1 | $2,466 |
| Education | $0 | $2,684 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $3,470 |
| Health | $1,016 | $18 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $1,437 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $8,577 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $103 |
| Utilities | $0 | $19,920 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $162 |
| Other | $13,929 | $26,782 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.