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

Bakersfield, CA vs Charlotte, NC

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

Summary

Charlotte spends 27.0% more per capita than Bakersfield ($4,278/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Bakersfield, CA
Pop. 404,321
C
56/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Bakersfield
Charlotte
Total Spending
$4.7B
$13.9B
Spending / Capita
$11,576
$15,854
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$43.5B
Revenue / Capita
$3,862
$49,746
Total Debt
$0
$2.4B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,690
Population
404,321
875,045
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Bakersfield$0
Charlotte$463
Highways & Roads
Bakersfield$0
Charlotte$41
Parks & Recreation
Bakersfield$741
Charlotte$1,571

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldCharlotte
Property Tax
$1
$0
Sales Tax
$20
$541
Income Tax
$1,909
$366
Intergovernmental
$3,862
$1,859
Charges & Fees
$1,024
$2,459
Other
$1,915
$4,866

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldCharlotte
Fire Protection
$0
$463
Highways & Roads
$0
$41
Public Welfare
$840
$672
Hospitals
$425
$1,243
Parks & Recreation
$741
$1,571
Housing
$3,391
$3,944
Sewerage
$265
$0
Utilities
$2,679
$2,244
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,226
Other
$3,234
$3,448
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health

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