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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Bakersfield, CA vs San Francisco, CA

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

Summary

San Francisco spends 93.7% more per capita than Bakersfield ($172,555/person difference). Bakersfield, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

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
San Francisco, CA
Pop. 851,036
D
48/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Bakersfield
San Francisco
Total Spending
$4.7B
$156.7B
Spending / Capita
$11,576
$184,131
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$232.3B
Revenue / Capita
$3,862
$272,907
Total Debt
$0
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,031
Population
404,321
851,036
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Bakersfield$0
San Francisco$3,351
Fire Protection
Bakersfield$0
San Francisco$2,281
Parks & Recreation
Bakersfield$741
San Francisco$4,119
Health
Bakersfield$0
San Francisco$1,911

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldSan Francisco
Property Tax
$1
$148
Sales Tax
$20
$3,028
Income Tax
$1,909
$269
Intergovernmental
$3,862
$19,762
Charges & Fees
$1,024
$7,961
Other
$1,915
$18,918

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldSan Francisco
Police
$0
$3,351
Fire Protection
$0
$2,281
Public Welfare
$840
$2,203
Health
$0
$1,911
Hospitals
$425
$6,939
Parks & Recreation
$741
$4,119
Housing
$3,391
$9,315
Sewerage
$265
$1,423
Utilities
$2,679
$21,190
Interest on Debt
$0
$22,798
General Admin
$0
$14,899
Other
$3,234
$93,702
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
D
San Francisco, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 48/100
Below average fiscal health

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