Bakersfield, CA vs Mesa, AZ
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Mesa spends 9.3% more per capita than Bakersfield ($1,192/person difference). Mesa, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
56/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Bakersfield
Mesa
Total Spending
$4.7B
$6.4B
Spending / Capita
$11,576
$12,768
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$18.0B
Revenue / Capita
$3,862
$35,688
Total Debt
$0
$236.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$469
Population
404,321
503,390
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Bakersfield$0
Mesa$422
Highways & Roads
Bakersfield$0
Mesa$192
Parks & Recreation
Bakersfield$741
Mesa$953
Health
Bakersfield$0
Mesa$147
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BakersfieldMesa
| Property Tax | $1 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $20 | $463 |
| Income Tax | $1,909 | $1,376 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,862 | $1,383 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,024 | $3,334 |
| Other | $1,915 | $2,253 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BakersfieldMesa
| Fire Protection | $0 | $422 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $192 |
| Public Welfare | $840 | $829 |
| Health | $0 | $147 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $537 |
| Parks & Recreation | $741 | $953 |
| Housing | $3,391 | $4,190 |
| Sewerage | $265 | $38 |
| Utilities | $2,679 | $2,376 |
| Other | $3,234 | $3,082 |
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
Mesa, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health