San Jose, CA vs Atlanta, GA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Atlanta, GA spends 42% more per resident than San Jose, CA: $25,457 against $17,934. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA edges Atlanta, GA on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 90/100 (grade A) to 85/100 (grade A). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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 Atlanta, GA at $1,274.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Jose, CA at 9% of total revenue, whereas Atlanta, GA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 6%.
Summary
Atlanta spends 29.6% more per capita than San Jose ($7,523/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 | $419 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $0 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $1,292 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $9,121 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $5,645 |
| Other | $3,519 | $5,461 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $315 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $464 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $513 |
| Education | $0 | $25 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $1,587 |
| Health | $609 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $55 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $1,274 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $4,594 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $343 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $8,026 |
| Other | $6,247 | $8,262 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.