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

Bakersfield, CA vs Houston, TX

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

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

City A
Bakersfield, CA
Pop. 404,321
C
56/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Houston, TX
Pop. 2,296,253
A
83/100
Budget Balance94
Debt Burden72
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Bakersfield
Houston
Total Spending
$4.7B
$33.1B
Spending / Capita
$11,576
$14,400
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$127.7B
Revenue / Capita
$3,862
$55,600
Total Debt
$0
$2.0B
Debt / Capita
$0
$863
Population
404,321
2,296,253
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Bakersfield$0
Houston$295
Highways & Roads
Bakersfield$0
Houston$175
Parks & Recreation
Bakersfield$741
Houston$361
Health
Bakersfield$0
Houston$210

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldHouston
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)

BakersfieldHouston
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
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Houston, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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