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

San Jose, CA vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

San Jose spends 54.9% more per capita than Bakersfield ($6,359/person difference). San Jose, CA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
San Jose, CA
Pop. 1,001,176
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency98
Revenue Diversity100
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
San Jose
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$18.0B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$17,934
$11,576
Total Revenue
$38.1B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$38,091
$3,862
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
1,001,176
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Parks & Recreation
San Jose$1,424
Bakersfield$741
Health
San Jose$609
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseBakersfield
Property Tax
$40
$1
Sales Tax
$315
$20
Income Tax
$1,935
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$2,680
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$608
$1,024
Other
$3,519
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

San JoseBakersfield
Public Welfare
$810
$840
Health
$609
$0
Hospitals
$1,254
$425
Parks & Recreation
$1,424
$741
Housing
$4,897
$3,391
Sewerage
$161
$265
Utilities
$2,533
$2,679
Other
$6,247
$3,234
A
San Jose, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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