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

Columbus, OH vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Columbus spends 62.9% more per capita than Bakersfield ($7,282/person difference). Bakersfield, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Columbus, OH
Pop. 902,449
C
52/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden46
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency94
Revenue Diversity0
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
Columbus
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$17.0B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$18,858
$11,576
Total Revenue
$0
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$0
$3,862
Total Debt
$1.0B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,145
$0
Population
902,449
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbus$1,016
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Columbus$224
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Columbus$2,168
Bakersfield$741

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusBakersfield
Property Tax
$10
$1
Sales Tax
$234
$20
Income Tax
$1
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$0
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$2,389
$1,024
Other
$5,248
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbusBakersfield
Fire Protection
$1,016
$0
Highways & Roads
$224
$0
Public Welfare
$878
$840
Hospitals
$953
$425
Parks & Recreation
$2,168
$741
Housing
$4,303
$3,391
Sewerage
$1
$265
Utilities
$1,719
$2,679
Other
$7,595
$3,234
C
Columbus, OH
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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