Bakersfield, CA vs Houston, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Houston, TX spends 24% more per resident than Bakersfield, CA: $14,400 against $11,576. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Bakersfield, CA — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Bakersfield, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Bakersfield, CA at $741 per resident and in Houston, TX at $361.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Bakersfield, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Houston, TX relies most on other revenue at 7%.
Summary
Houston spends 19.6% more per capita than Bakersfield ($2,824/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $20 | $181 |
| Income Tax | $1,909 | $39 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,862 | $33 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,024 | $3,475 |
| Other | $1,915 | $3,960 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $295 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $175 |
| Public Welfare | $840 | $533 |
| Health | $0 | $210 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $511 |
| Parks & Recreation | $741 | $361 |
| Housing | $3,391 | $4,288 |
| Sewerage | $265 | $386 |
| Utilities | $2,679 | $1,339 |
| Other | $3,234 | $6,301 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.