Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Memphis, TN vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Memphis spends 91.0% more per capita than Bakersfield ($10,535/person difference). Memphis, TN has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Memphis, TN
Pop. 630,027
B
65/100
Budget Balance52
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency79
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
Memphis
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$13.9B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$22,111
$11,576
Total Revenue
$21.5B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$34,065
$3,862
Total Debt
$191.2M
$0
Debt / Capita
$303
$0
Population
630,027
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Memphis$469
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Memphis$277
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Memphis$1,397
Bakersfield$741
Health
Memphis$391
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

MemphisBakersfield
Property Tax
$10
$1
Sales Tax
$496
$20
Income Tax
$1,218
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$34,065
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$2,077
$1,024
Other
$3,994
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

MemphisBakersfield
Fire Protection
$469
$0
Highways & Roads
$277
$0
Public Welfare
$630
$840
Health
$391
$0
Hospitals
$1,677
$425
Parks & Recreation
$1,397
$741
Housing
$4,683
$3,391
Sewerage
$0
$265
Utilities
$2,578
$2,679
Interest on Debt
$1,158
$0
Other
$8,850
$3,234
B
Memphis, TN
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities