Oakland, CA vs Wichita, KS
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA outspends Wichita, KS by a wide margin per resident — $30,055 versus $7,986, a 276% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Wichita, KS 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.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Wichita, KS carries $132 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016 per resident, while Wichita, KS leads with parks and recreation at $874.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Oakland, CA and 14% in Wichita, KS.
Summary
Oakland spends 276.3% more per capita than Wichita ($22,069/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $522 | $246 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $57 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,277 | $3,895 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,193 |
| Other | $4,337 | $2,783 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1 | $152 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $126 |
| Education | $0 | $2 |
| Public Welfare | $2,426 | $441 |
| Health | $1,016 | $254 |
| Hospitals | $2,498 | $113 |
| Parks & Recreation | $955 | $874 |
| Housing | $7,811 | $2,618 |
| Sewerage | $1,417 | $0 |
| Utilities | $0 | $1,225 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $70 |
| Other | $13,929 | $2,111 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.