Las Vegas, NV vs Bakersfield, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Bakersfield, CA spends 27% more per resident than Las Vegas, NV: $11,576 against $9,085. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Las Vegas, NV holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 82/100 (grade A) against 56/100 (grade C) for Bakersfield, CA — a 26-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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 Las Vegas, NV at $1,028 per resident and in Bakersfield, CA at $741.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Las Vegas, NV at 34% of total revenue, whereas Bakersfield, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Bakersfield spends 21.5% more per capita than Las Vegas ($2,490/person difference). Las Vegas, NV has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 82/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $50 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $386 | $20 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,909 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,137 | $3,862 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,024 |
| Other | $2,806 | $1,915 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $945 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $280 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $45 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $705 | $840 |
| Hospitals | $356 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,028 | $741 |
| Housing | $23 | $3,391 |
| Sewerage | $332 | $265 |
| Utilities | $129 | $2,679 |
| Other | $5,243 | $3,234 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.