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

Austin, TX vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Austin spends 88.1% more per capita than Bakersfield ($10,196/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Austin, TX
Pop. 958,202
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
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
Austin
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$20.9B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$11,576
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$3,862
Total Debt
$1.2B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$0
Population
958,202
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Austin$634
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Bakersfield$741
Education
Austin$51
Bakersfield$0
Health
Austin$517
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinBakersfield
Property Tax
$0
$1
Sales Tax
$526
$20
Income Tax
$1,465
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$1,024
Other
$5,645
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinBakersfield
Fire Protection
$634
$0
Education
$51
$0
Public Welfare
$1,837
$840
Health
$517
$0
Hospitals
$664
$425
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$741
Housing
$3,741
$3,391
Sewerage
$865
$265
Utilities
$3,264
$2,679
Other
$8,399
$3,234
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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