San Jose, CA vs Fresno, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Fresno, CA outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $43,387 versus $17,934, a 142% 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 50/100 (grade C) for Fresno, CA — a 40-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 Fresno, CA leads with education at $3,942.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 9% of total revenue in San Jose, CA and 19% in Fresno, CA.
Summary
Fresno spends 58.7% more per capita than San Jose ($25,453/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 | $337 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $19 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $501 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | -$4,470 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $11 |
| Other | $3,519 | $2,070 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,261 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $568 |
| Education | $0 | $3,942 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $1,946 |
| Health | $609 | $599 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $76 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $2,856 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $15,340 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $255 |
| Other | $6,247 | $14,545 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.