San Jose, CA vs Anaheim, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Anaheim, CA spends 31% more per resident than San Jose, CA: $23,533 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 78/100 (grade B) for Anaheim, CA — a 12-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: parks and recreation leads in San Jose, CA at $1,424 per resident and in Anaheim, CA at $2,078.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 9% of total revenue in San Jose, CA and 5% in Anaheim, CA.
Summary
Anaheim spends 23.8% more per capita than San Jose ($5,598/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 | $40 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $1,788 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $2,380 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $1,297 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $2,764 |
| Other | $3,519 | $5,232 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $254 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $813 |
| Health | $609 | $358 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $4,753 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $2,078 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $5,592 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $726 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $3,943 |
| Other | $6,247 | $5,014 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.