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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Oklahoma City, OK vs Fresno, CA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Fresno, CA outspends Oklahoma City, OK by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $18,074, a 140% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.

Oklahoma City, OK holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Fresno, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Oklahoma City, OK carries $3,520 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Oklahoma City, OK leads with parks and recreation at $2,014 per resident, while Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Oklahoma City, OK at 19% of total revenue, whereas Fresno, CA relies most on other revenue at 19%.

Summary

Fresno spends 58.3% more per capita than Oklahoma City ($25,314/person difference). Oklahoma City, OK has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Oklahoma City, OK
Pop. 681,088
B
65/100
Budget Balance80
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency97
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Fresno, CA
Pop. 541,528
C
50/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Oklahoma City
Fresno
Total Spending
$12.3B
$23.5B
Spending / Capita
$18,074
$43,387
Total Revenue
$23.9B
$6.0B
Revenue / Capita
$35,156
$10,998
Total Debt
$2.4B
$0
Debt / Capita
$3,520
$0
Population
681,088
541,528
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Oklahoma City$0
Fresno$3,261
Fire Protection
Oklahoma City$513
Fresno$568
Parks & Recreation
Oklahoma City$2,014
Fresno$76
Education
Oklahoma City$0
Fresno$3,942
Health
Oklahoma City$5
Fresno$599

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Oklahoma CityFresno
Property Tax
$0
$337
Sales Tax
$763
$19
Income Tax
$1,037
$501
Intergovernmental
$6,852
-$4,470
Charges & Fees
$3,256
$11
Other
$1,836
$2,070

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Oklahoma CityFresno
Police
$0
$3,261
Fire Protection
$513
$568
Education
$0
$3,942
Public Welfare
$1,525
$1,946
Health
$5
$599
Hospitals
$2,044
$0
Parks & Recreation
$2,014
$76
Housing
$2,857
$2,856
Utilities
$4,523
$15,340
Interest on Debt
$707
$255
Other
$3,886
$14,545
B
Oklahoma City, OK
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
C
Fresno, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.