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

Arlington, TX vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Arlington spends 1.7% more per capita than Bakersfield ($193/person difference). Arlington, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Arlington, TX
Pop. 393,469
A
83/100
Budget Balance78
Debt Burden96
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity89
Trend Direction50
City B
Bakersfield, CA
Pop. 404,321
C
56/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Arlington
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$4.6B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$11,769
$11,576
Total Revenue
$23.8B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$60,454
$3,862
Total Debt
$233.8M
$0
Debt / Capita
$594
$0
Population
393,469
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Arlington$160
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Arlington$149
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Arlington$1,352
Bakersfield$741
Health
Arlington$219
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonBakersfield
Property Tax
$0
$1
Sales Tax
$507
$20
Income Tax
$73
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$25,062
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$2,949
$1,024
Other
$3,897
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ArlingtonBakersfield
Fire Protection
$160
$0
Highways & Roads
$149
$0
Public Welfare
$826
$840
Health
$219
$0
Hospitals
$152
$425
Parks & Recreation
$1,352
$741
Housing
$2,981
$3,391
Sewerage
$141
$265
Utilities
$1,385
$2,679
Other
$4,404
$3,234
A
Arlington, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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