Philadelphia, PA vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Philadelphia, PA outspends Oakland, CA by a wide margin per resident — $56,272 versus $30,055, a 87% 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 45/100 (grade D) for Philadelphia, PA — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Philadelphia, PA carries $1,069 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Philadelphia, PA leads with fire protection at $7,082 per resident, while Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 16% of total revenue in Philadelphia, PA and 100% in Oakland, CA.
Summary
Philadelphia spends 87.2% more per capita than Oakland ($26,217/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)
| Sales Tax | $107 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $0 |
| Other | $4,029 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,505 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $1 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $2,426 |
| Health | $229 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $955 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $0 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $13,929 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.