Bakersfield, CA vs Las Vegas, NV
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Bakersfield, CA spends 27% more per resident than Las Vegas, NV: $11,576 against $9,085. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Bakersfield, CA — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. 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 Las Vegas, NV at $1,028.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Bakersfield, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Las Vegas, NV relies most on other revenue at 34%.
Summary
Bakersfield spends 27.4% more per capita than Las Vegas ($2,490/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1 | $50 |
| Sales Tax | $20 | $386 |
| Income Tax | $1,909 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,862 | $1,137 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,024 | $0 |
| Other | $1,915 | $2,806 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $945 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $280 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $45 |
| Public Welfare | $840 | $705 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $356 |
| Parks & Recreation | $741 | $1,028 |
| Housing | $3,391 | $23 |
| Sewerage | $265 | $332 |
| Utilities | $2,679 | $129 |
| Other | $3,234 | $5,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.