Oakland, CA vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $30,055 versus $17,934, a 68% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Jose, CA 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 San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oakland, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas San Jose, CA relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
Oakland spends 67.6% more per capita than San Jose ($12,120/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $522 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $608 |
| Other | $4,337 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $810 |
| Health | $1,016 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $161 |
| Utilities | $0 | $2,533 |
| Other | $13,929 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.