San Jose, CA vs Dallas, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Dallas, TX outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $34,849 versus $17,934, a 94% 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 Dallas, TX — 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: San Jose, CA leads with parks and recreation at $1,424 per resident, while Dallas, TX leads with police at $1,519.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Jose, CA at 9% of total revenue, whereas Dallas, TX relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 22%.
Summary
Dallas spends 48.5% more per capita than San Jose ($16,915/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 | $9 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $25 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $1,223 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $0 |
| Other | $3,519 | $584 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,519 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $305 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $201 |
| Education | $0 | $62 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $215 |
| Health | $609 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $385 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $0 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $444 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $833 |
| General Admin | $0 | $25,827 |
| Other | $6,247 | $5,059 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.