Bakersfield, CA vs San Jose, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
San Jose, CA spends 55% more per resident than Bakersfield, CA: $17,934 against $11,576. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
San Jose, CA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Bakersfield, CA — a 34-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. 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 San Jose, CA at $1,424.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Bakersfield, CA at 100% of total revenue, whereas San Jose, CA relies most on other revenue at 9%.
Summary
San Jose spends 35.5% more per capita than Bakersfield ($6,359/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $1 | $40 |
| Sales Tax | $20 | $315 |
| Income Tax | $1,909 | $1,935 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,862 | $2,680 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,024 | $608 |
| Other | $1,915 | $3,519 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Public Welfare | $840 | $810 |
| Health | $0 | $609 |
| Hospitals | $425 | $1,254 |
| Parks & Recreation | $741 | $1,424 |
| Housing | $3,391 | $4,897 |
| Sewerage | $265 | $161 |
| Utilities | $2,679 | $2,533 |
| Other | $3,234 | $6,247 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.