Bakersfield, CA vs Raleigh, NC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Raleigh, NC spends 20% more per resident than Bakersfield, CA: $13,911 against $11,576. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Raleigh, NC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 76/100 (grade B) against 56/100 (grade C) for Bakersfield, CA — a 20-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Bakersfield, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Raleigh, NC carries $906 per resident. 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 Raleigh, NC at $1,391.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Bakersfield, CA and 47% in Raleigh, NC.
Summary
Raleigh spends 16.8% more per capita than Bakersfield ($2,335/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $20 | $858 |
| Income Tax | $1,909 | $806 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,862 | $14,128 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,024 | $2,681 |
| Other | $1,915 | $4,740 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $0 | $277 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $448 |
| Education | $0 | $6 |
| Public Welfare | $840 | $498 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $669 |
| Parks & Recreation | $741 | $1,391 |
| Housing | $3,391 | $2,712 |
| Sewerage | $265 | $281 |
| Utilities | $2,679 | $2,469 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,513 |
| Other | $3,234 | $3,646 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.