Albuquerque, NM vs Bakersfield, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Albuquerque, NM spends 49% more per resident than Bakersfield, CA: $17,237 against $11,576. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Albuquerque, NM holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 81/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Bakersfield, CA — a 25-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Bakersfield, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Albuquerque, NM carries $613 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Albuquerque, NM at $1,990 per resident and in Bakersfield, CA at $741.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Albuquerque, NM at 11% of total revenue, whereas Bakersfield, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Albuquerque spends 48.9% more per capita than Bakersfield ($5,662/person difference). Albuquerque, NM has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 81/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $36 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $355 | $20 |
| Income Tax | $1,580 | $1,909 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,897 | $3,862 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,633 | $1,024 |
| Other | $2,174 | $1,915 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $440 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $172 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $419 | $840 |
| Health | $291 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $328 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,990 | $741 |
| Housing | $4,080 | $3,391 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $265 |
| Utilities | $5,212 | $2,679 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,096 | $0 |
| Other | $3,209 | $3,234 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.