San Jose, CA vs Oakland, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Oakland, CA outspends San Jose, CA by a wide margin per resident — $30,055 versus $17,934, a 68% 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 72/100 (grade B) for Oakland, CA — a 18-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 Oakland, CA leads with health at $1,016.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in San Jose, CA at 9% of total revenue, whereas Oakland, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Oakland spends 40.3% more per capita than San Jose ($12,120/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 | $522 |
| Income Tax | $1,935 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $2,680 | $42,277 |
| Charges & Fees | $608 | $0 |
| Other | $3,519 | $4,337 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $1 |
| Public Welfare | $810 | $2,426 |
| Health | $609 | $1,016 |
| Hospitals | $1,254 | $2,498 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,424 | $955 |
| Housing | $4,897 | $7,811 |
| Sewerage | $161 | $1,417 |
| Utilities | $2,533 | $0 |
| Other | $6,247 | $13,929 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.