Portland, OR vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Portland, OR spends 32% more per resident than San Jose, CA: $23,675 against $17,934. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 63/100 (grade C) for Portland, OR — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
San Jose, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Portland, OR carries $1,574 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Portland, OR at $2,477 per resident and in San Jose, CA at $1,424.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Portland, OR at 19% of total revenue, whereas San Jose, CA relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
Portland spends 32.0% more per capita than San Jose ($5,740/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 | $1,695 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $130 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $8,979 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,883 | $608 |
| Other | $7,916 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,700 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $139 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,607 | $810 |
| Health | $0 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $2,893 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,477 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $3,694 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $630 | $161 |
| Utilities | $1,845 | $2,533 |
| Other | $6,689 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.