Raleigh, NC vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA outspends Raleigh, NC by a wide margin per resident — $30,055 versus $13,911, a 116% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Raleigh, NC edges Oakland, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 76/100 (grade B) to 72/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Oakland, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Raleigh, NC carries $906 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Raleigh, NC leads with parks and recreation at $1,391 per resident, while Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 47% of total revenue in Raleigh, NC and 100% in Oakland, CA.
Summary
Oakland spends 53.7% more per capita than Raleigh ($16,144/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $858 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $806 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,128 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,681 | $0 |
| Other | $4,740 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $277 | $1 |
| Highways & Roads | $448 | $0 |
| Education | $6 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $498 | $2,426 |
| Health | $0 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $669 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,391 | $955 |
| Housing | $2,712 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $281 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $2,469 | $0 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,513 | $0 |
| Other | $3,646 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.