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

Bakersfield, CA vs San Jose, CA

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

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

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 Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Bakersfield
San Jose
Total Spending
$4.7B
$18.0B
Spending / Capita
$11,576
$17,934
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$38.1B
Revenue / Capita
$3,862
$38,091
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
404,321
1,001,176
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Parks & Recreation
Bakersfield$741
San Jose$1,424
Health
Bakersfield$0
San Jose$609

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldSan Jose
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)

BakersfieldSan Jose
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
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health

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