Sacramento, CA vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Sacramento, CA outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $71,020 versus $17,934, a 296% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 57/100 (grade C) for Sacramento, CA — a 33-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. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Sacramento, CA leads with police at $5,402 per resident, while San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 8% of total revenue in Sacramento, CA and 9% in San Jose, CA.
Summary
Sacramento spends 296.0% more per capita than San Jose ($53,086/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 | $1,465 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $378 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $3,104 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,400 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,239 | $608 |
| Other | $5,072 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $5,402 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $2,466 | $0 |
| Education | $2,684 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,470 | $810 |
| Health | $18 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,437 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $8,577 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $103 | $161 |
| Utilities | $19,920 | $2,533 |
| Interest on Debt | $162 | $0 |
| Other | $26,782 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.