San Jose, CA vs Miami, FL
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Miami, FL spends 57% more per resident than San Jose, CA: $28,195 against $17,934. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 53/100 (grade C) for Miami, FL — a 37-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 Miami, FL leads with fire protection at $7,399.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Jose, CA at 9% of total revenue, whereas Miami, FL relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Miami spends 36.4% more per capita than San Jose ($10,261/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 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $315 | $1,647 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $15,037 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $0 |
| Other | $3,519 | $1,399 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $7,399 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $109 |
| Health | $609 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $1,499 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $1,783 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $6,840 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $699 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $1,295 |
| Other | $6,247 | $8,572 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.