Bakersfield, CA vs Milwaukee, WI
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI outspends Bakersfield, CA by a wide margin per resident — $19,417 versus $11,576, a 68% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI edges Bakersfield, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 62/100 (grade C) to 56/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Bakersfield, CA leads with parks and recreation at $741 per resident, while Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Bakersfield, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas Milwaukee, WI relies most on sales tax at 59%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 40.4% more per capita than Bakersfield ($7,841/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $20 | $6,548 |
| Income Tax | $1,909 | $1 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,862 | $1,231 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,024 | $0 |
| Other | $1,915 | $3,984 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,642 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $802 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $840 | $180 |
| Health | $0 | $1 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $741 | $2,206 |
| Housing | $3,391 | $1,071 |
| Sewerage | $265 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,679 | $1,866 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,608 |
| Other | $3,234 | $8,018 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.