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

Phoenix, AZ vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Phoenix spends 36.4% more per capita than Bakersfield ($4,217/person difference). Phoenix, AZ has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Phoenix, AZ
Pop. 1,609,456
B
67/100
Budget Balance93
Debt Burden45
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Phoenix
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$25.4B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$15,793
$11,576
Total Revenue
$81.6B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$50,709
$3,862
Total Debt
$1.9B
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,156
$0
Population
1,609,456
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Phoenix$170
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Phoenix$86
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Phoenix$652
Bakersfield$741
Education
Phoenix$214
Bakersfield$0
Health
Phoenix$258
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixBakersfield
Property Tax
$7
$1
Sales Tax
$338
$20
Income Tax
$1,260
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$50,709
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$2,998
$1,024
Other
$2,038
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

PhoenixBakersfield
Fire Protection
$170
$0
Highways & Roads
$86
$0
Education
$214
$0
Public Welfare
$507
$840
Health
$258
$0
Hospitals
$1,521
$425
Parks & Recreation
$652
$741
Housing
$3,879
$3,391
Sewerage
$388
$265
Utilities
$2,480
$2,679
Interest on Debt
$1,760
$0
Other
$3,878
$3,234
B
Phoenix, AZ
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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