Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Boston, MA vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Boston spends 524.6% more per capita than Bakersfield ($60,723/person difference). Both cities share the same Fiscal Health Score.

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Boston, MA
Pop. 665,945
C
56/100
Budget Balance25
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Bakersfield, CA
Pop. 404,321
C
56/100
Budget Balance2
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Boston
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$48.1B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$72,299
$11,576
Total Revenue
$20.8B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$31,243
$3,862
Total Debt
$296.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$445
$0
Population
665,945
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Boston$1,107
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Boston$594
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Boston$711
Bakersfield$741
Education
Boston$30,742
Bakersfield$0
Health
Boston$725
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonBakersfield
Property Tax
$0
$1
Sales Tax
$78
$20
Income Tax
$0
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$5,357
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$2,784
$1,024
Other
$4,557
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

BostonBakersfield
Fire Protection
$1,107
$0
Highways & Roads
$594
$0
Education
$30,742
$0
Public Welfare
$1,110
$840
Health
$725
$0
Hospitals
$2,584
$425
Parks & Recreation
$711
$741
Housing
$6,614
$3,391
Sewerage
$355
$265
Utilities
$3,402
$2,679
General Admin
$5,401
$0
Other
$18,955
$3,234
C
Boston, MA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities