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

Raleigh, NC vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Raleigh spends 20.2% more per capita than Bakersfield ($2,335/person difference). Raleigh, NC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 76/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Raleigh, NC
Pop. 465,517
B
76/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden68
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity67
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
Raleigh
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$6.5B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$13,911
$11,576
Total Revenue
$13.9B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$29,940
$3,862
Total Debt
$421.6M
$0
Debt / Capita
$906
$0
Population
465,517
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Raleigh$277
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Raleigh$448
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Raleigh$1,391
Bakersfield$741
Education
Raleigh$6
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighBakersfield
Property Tax
$0
$1
Sales Tax
$858
$20
Income Tax
$806
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$14,128
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$2,681
$1,024
Other
$4,740
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

RaleighBakersfield
Fire Protection
$277
$0
Highways & Roads
$448
$0
Education
$6
$0
Public Welfare
$498
$840
Hospitals
$669
$425
Parks & Recreation
$1,391
$741
Housing
$2,712
$3,391
Sewerage
$281
$265
Utilities
$2,469
$2,679
Interest on Debt
$1,513
$0
Other
$3,646
$3,234
B
Raleigh, NC
Fiscal Health Score: 76/100
Good fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities