Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Atlanta, GA vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Atlanta spends 119.9% more per capita than Bakersfield ($13,881/person difference). Atlanta, GA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Atlanta, GA
Pop. 494,838
A
85/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency64
Revenue Diversity100
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
Atlanta
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$12.6B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$25,457
$11,576
Total Revenue
$77.6B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$156,803
$3,862
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
494,838
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Atlanta$315
Bakersfield$0
Fire Protection
Atlanta$464
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Atlanta$513
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Atlanta$1,274
Bakersfield$741
Education
Atlanta$25
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AtlantaBakersfield
Property Tax
$419
$1
Sales Tax
$0
$20
Income Tax
$1,292
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$9,121
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$5,645
$1,024
Other
$5,461
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AtlantaBakersfield
Police
$315
$0
Fire Protection
$464
$0
Highways & Roads
$513
$0
Education
$25
$0
Public Welfare
$1,587
$840
Hospitals
$55
$425
Parks & Recreation
$1,274
$741
Housing
$4,594
$3,391
Sewerage
$343
$265
Utilities
$8,026
$2,679
Other
$8,262
$3,234
A
Atlanta, GA
Fiscal Health Score: 85/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities