Oakland, CA vs San Francisco, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Francisco, CA outspends Oakland, CA by a wide margin per resident — $184,131 versus $30,055, a 513% 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 48/100 (grade D) for San Francisco, CA — a 24-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while San Francisco, CA carries $2,031 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while San Francisco, CA leads with parks and recreation at $4,119.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Oakland, CA and 7% in San Francisco, CA.
Summary
San Francisco spends 83.7% more per capita than Oakland ($154,077/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 | $148 |
| Sales Tax | $522 | $3,028 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $269 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $19,762 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $7,961 |
| Other | $4,337 | $18,918 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,351 |
| Fire Protection | $1 | $2,281 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $2,203 |
| Health | $1,016 | $1,911 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $6,939 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $4,119 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $9,315 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $1,423 |
| Utilities | $0 | $21,190 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $22,798 |
| General Admin | $0 | $14,899 |
| Other | $13,929 | $93,702 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.