Kansas City, MO vs Bakersfield, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Kansas City, MO outspends Bakersfield, CA by a wide margin per resident — $22,820 versus $11,576, a 97% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Bakersfield, CA edges Kansas City, MO on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 56/100 (grade C) to 52/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Kansas City, MO at $1,309 per resident and in Bakersfield, CA at $741.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Kansas City, MO at 835% of total revenue, whereas Bakersfield, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Kansas City spends 97.1% more per capita than Bakersfield ($11,244/person difference). Bakersfield, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 56/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $20 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,909 |
| Intergovernmental | $7 | $3,862 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,794 | $1,024 |
| Other | $11,150 | $1,915 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $119 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $3,018 | $840 |
| Hospitals | $1,849 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,309 | $741 |
| Housing | $4,681 | $3,391 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $265 |
| Utilities | $3,123 | $2,679 |
| Other | $8,721 | $3,234 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.