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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

San Jose, CA vs Charlotte, NC

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

San Jose spends 13.1% more per capita than Charlotte ($2,081/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Jose
Charlotte
Total Spending
$18.0B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$17,934
$15,854
Total Revenue
$38.1B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$38,091
$49,746
Total Debt
$0
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,690
Population
1,001,176
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
San Jose$0
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
San Jose$0
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
San Jose$1,424
Charlotte$1,571
Health
San Jose$609
Charlotte$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseCharlotte
Property Tax
$40
$0
Sales Tax
$315
$541
Income Tax
$1,935
$366
Intergovernmental
$2,680
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$608
$2,459
Other
$3,519
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseCharlotte
Fire Protection
$0
$463
Highways & Roads
$0
$41
Public Welfare
$810
$672
Health
$609
$0
Hospitals
$1,254
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$1,424
$1,571
Housing
$4,897
$3,944
Sewerage
$161
$0
Utilities
$2,533
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,226
Other
$6,247
$3,448
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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