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

San Jose, CA vs Los Angeles, CA

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

Summary

Los Angeles spends 79.0% more per capita than San Jose ($67,498/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
Los Angeles, CA
Pop. 3,881,041
D
47/100
Budget Balance0
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity65
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
San Jose
Los Angeles
Total Spending
$18.0B
$331.6B
Spending / Capita
$17,934
$85,432
Total Revenue
$38.1B
$68.3B
Revenue / Capita
$38,091
$17,595
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
1,001,176
3,881,041
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
San Jose$0
Los Angeles$4,111
Fire Protection
San Jose$0
Los Angeles$1,057
Highways & Roads
San Jose$0
Los Angeles$503
Parks & Recreation
San Jose$1,424
Los Angeles$1,347
Education
San Jose$0
Los Angeles$829
Health
San Jose$609
Los Angeles$409

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseLos Angeles
Property Tax
$40
$64
Sales Tax
$315
$77
Income Tax
$1,935
$307
Intergovernmental
$2,680
$134
Charges & Fees
$608
$459
Other
$3,519
$9,048

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseLos Angeles
Police
$0
$4,111
Fire Protection
$0
$1,057
Highways & Roads
$0
$503
Education
$0
$829
Public Welfare
$810
$1,286
Health
$609
$409
Hospitals
$1,254
$2,135
Parks & Recreation
$1,424
$1,347
Housing
$4,897
$6,325
Sewerage
$161
$34
Utilities
$2,533
$21,992
Interest on Debt
$0
$630
General Admin
$0
$11,586
Other
$6,247
$33,189
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Los Angeles, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 47/100
Below average fiscal health

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