Bakersfield, CA vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Diego, CA outspends Bakersfield, CA by a wide margin per resident — $43,306 versus $11,576, a 274% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Bakersfield, CA edges San Diego, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 53/100 (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 San Diego, CA leads with police at $3,335.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Bakersfield, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas San Diego, CA relies most on other revenue at 39%.
Summary
San Diego spends 73.3% more per capita than Bakersfield ($31,731/person difference). Bakersfield, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1 | $124 |
| Sales Tax | $20 | $63 |
| Income Tax | $1,909 | $194 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,862 | $57 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,024 | $14 |
| Other | $1,915 | $3,801 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $3,335 |
| Fire Protection | $0 | $1,278 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,408 |
| Education | $0 | $2,005 |
| Public Welfare | $840 | $700 |
| Health | $0 | $411 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $741 | $436 |
| Housing | $3,391 | $4,476 |
| Sewerage | $265 | $43 |
| Utilities | $2,679 | $11,704 |
| Other | $3,234 | $17,509 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.