Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Bakersfield, CA vs Oakland, CA

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

Summary

Oakland spends 61.5% more per capita than Bakersfield ($18,479/person difference). Oakland, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 72/100).

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
Oakland, CA
Pop. 437,825
B
72/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency43
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Bakersfield
Oakland
Total Spending
$4.7B
$13.2B
Spending / Capita
$11,576
$30,055
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$18.5B
Revenue / Capita
$3,862
$42,277
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
404,321
437,825
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Bakersfield$0
Oakland$1
Parks & Recreation
Bakersfield$741
Oakland$955
Health
Bakersfield$0
Oakland$1,016

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldOakland
Property Tax
$1
$0
Sales Tax
$20
$522
Income Tax
$1,909
$0
Intergovernmental
$3,862
$42,277
Charges & Fees
$1,024
$0
Other
$1,915
$4,337

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldOakland
Fire Protection
$0
$1
Public Welfare
$840
$2,426
Health
$0
$1,016
Hospitals
$425
$2,498
Parks & Recreation
$741
$955
Housing
$3,391
$7,811
Sewerage
$265
$1,417
Utilities
$2,679
$0
Other
$3,234
$13,929
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
B
Oakland, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 72/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities