San Diego, CA vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA spends 44% more per resident than Oakland, CA: $43,306 against $30,055. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Oakland, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 72/100 (grade B) against 53/100 (grade C) for San Diego, CA — a 19-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: San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335 per resident, while Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Diego, CA at 39% of total revenue, whereas Oakland, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
San Diego spends 44.1% more per capita than Oakland ($13,252/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)
| Property Tax | $124 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $63 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $194 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $57 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $14 | $0 |
| Other | $3,801 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,335 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,278 | $1 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,408 | $0 |
| Education | $2,005 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $700 | $2,426 |
| Health | $411 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $436 | $955 |
| Housing | $4,476 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $43 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $11,704 | $0 |
| Other | $17,509 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.