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

Charlotte, NC vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Charlotte spends 37.0% more per capita than Bakersfield ($4,278/person difference). Charlotte, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 63/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Charlotte, NC
Pop. 875,045
C
63/100
Budget Balance71
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Charlotte
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$13.9B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$15,854
$11,576
Total Revenue
$43.5B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$49,746
$3,862
Total Debt
$2.4B
$0
Debt / Capita
$2,690
$0
Population
875,045
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Charlotte$463
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Charlotte$41
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Charlotte$1,571
Bakersfield$741

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteBakersfield
Property Tax
$0
$1
Sales Tax
$541
$20
Income Tax
$366
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$1,859
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$2,459
$1,024
Other
$4,866
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

CharlotteBakersfield
Fire Protection
$463
$0
Highways & Roads
$41
$0
Public Welfare
$672
$840
Hospitals
$1,243
$425
Parks & Recreation
$1,571
$741
Housing
$3,944
$3,391
Sewerage
$0
$265
Utilities
$2,244
$2,679
Interest on Debt
$2,226
$0
Other
$3,448
$3,234
C
Charlotte, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 63/100
Average fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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