Houston, TX vs Bakersfield, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Houston, TX spends 24% more per resident than Bakersfield, CA: $14,400 against $11,576. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Houston, TX holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 83/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Bakersfield, CA — a 27-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Bakersfield, CA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Houston, TX carries $863 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Houston, TX at $361 per resident and in Bakersfield, CA at $741.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Houston, TX at 7% of total revenue, whereas Bakersfield, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Houston spends 24.4% more per capita than Bakersfield ($2,824/person difference). Houston, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 83/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $181 | $20 |
| Income Tax | $39 | $1,909 |
| Intergovernmental | $33 | $3,862 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,475 | $1,024 |
| Other | $3,960 | $1,915 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $295 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $175 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $533 | $840 |
| Health | $210 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $511 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $361 | $741 |
| Housing | $4,288 | $3,391 |
| Sewerage | $386 | $265 |
| Utilities | $1,339 | $2,679 |
| Other | $6,301 | $3,234 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.