Sacramento, CA vs Los Angeles, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Los Angeles, CA spends 20% more per resident than Sacramento, CA: $85,432 against $71,020. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Sacramento, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 57/100 (grade C) against 47/100 (grade D) for Los Angeles, CA — a 10-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: police leads in Sacramento, CA at $5,402 per resident and in Los Angeles, CA at $4,111.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 8% of total revenue in Sacramento, CA and 51% in Los Angeles, CA.
Summary
Los Angeles spends 16.9% more per capita than Sacramento ($14,412/person difference). Sacramento, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 57/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1,465 | $64 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $77 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $307 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $134 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $459 |
| Other | $5,072 | $9,048 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $4,111 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $1,057 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $503 |
| Education | $2,684 | $829 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $1,286 |
| Health | $18 | $409 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,135 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $1,347 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $6,325 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $34 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $21,992 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $630 |
| General Admin | $0 | $11,586 |
| Other | $26,782 | $33,189 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.