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

Bakersfield, CA vs Seattle, WA

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

Summary

Seattle spends 66.4% more per capita than Bakersfield ($22,887/person difference). Seattle, WA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

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
Seattle, WA
Pop. 734,603
C
61/100
Budget Balance69
Debt Burden50
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency22
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Bakersfield
Seattle
Total Spending
$4.7B
$25.3B
Spending / Capita
$11,576
$34,463
Total Revenue
$1.6B
$56.5B
Revenue / Capita
$3,862
$76,958
Total Debt
$0
$808.1M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,100
Population
404,321
734,603
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Bakersfield$0
Seattle$210
Parks & Recreation
Bakersfield$741
Seattle$3,923
Education
Bakersfield$0
Seattle$1,461
Health
Bakersfield$0
Seattle$1,131

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldSeattle
Property Tax
$1
$1,831
Sales Tax
$20
$1,094
Income Tax
$1,909
$3,496
Intergovernmental
$3,862
$9,846
Charges & Fees
$1,024
$3,960
Other
$1,915
$8,544

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BakersfieldSeattle
Fire Protection
$0
$210
Education
$0
$1,461
Public Welfare
$840
$3,439
Health
$0
$1,131
Hospitals
$425
$1,871
Parks & Recreation
$741
$3,923
Housing
$3,391
$3,727
Sewerage
$265
$952
Utilities
$2,679
$6,489
Other
$3,234
$11,260
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Seattle, WA
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

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