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

Detroit, MI vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Detroit spends 168.6% more per capita than Bakersfield ($19,512/person difference). Detroit, MI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
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
Detroit
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$19.8B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$31,087
$11,576
Total Revenue
$28.4B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$44,533
$3,862
Total Debt
$493.9M
$0
Debt / Capita
$776
$0
Population
636,787
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Detroit$2,429
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Detroit$950
Bakersfield$741
Health
Detroit$396
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitBakersfield
Property Tax
$44
$1
Sales Tax
$200
$20
Income Tax
$1,045
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$291
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$2,228
$1,024
Other
$6,892
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DetroitBakersfield
Fire Protection
$2,429
$0
Public Welfare
$833
$840
Health
$396
$0
Hospitals
$2,217
$425
Parks & Recreation
$950
$741
Housing
$5,791
$3,391
Sewerage
$451
$265
Utilities
$2,737
$2,679
Interest on Debt
$2,068
$0
Other
$13,216
$3,234
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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