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

Wichita, KS vs Bakersfield, CA

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

Summary

Bakersfield spends 31.0% more per capita than Wichita ($3,590/person difference). Wichita, KS has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Wichita, KS
Pop. 395,951
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
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
Wichita
Bakersfield
Total Spending
$3.2B
$4.7B
Spending / Capita
$7,986
$11,576
Total Revenue
$10.7B
$1.6B
Revenue / Capita
$27,057
$3,862
Total Debt
$52.2M
$0
Debt / Capita
$132
$0
Population
395,951
404,321
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Wichita$152
Bakersfield$0
Highways & Roads
Wichita$126
Bakersfield$0
Parks & Recreation
Wichita$874
Bakersfield$741
Education
Wichita$2
Bakersfield$0
Health
Wichita$254
Bakersfield$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

WichitaBakersfield
Property Tax
$0
$1
Sales Tax
$246
$20
Income Tax
$57
$1,909
Intergovernmental
$3,895
$3,862
Charges & Fees
$3,193
$1,024
Other
$2,783
$1,915

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

WichitaBakersfield
Fire Protection
$152
$0
Highways & Roads
$126
$0
Education
$2
$0
Public Welfare
$441
$840
Health
$254
$0
Hospitals
$113
$425
Parks & Recreation
$874
$741
Housing
$2,618
$3,391
Sewerage
$0
$265
Utilities
$1,225
$2,679
Interest on Debt
$70
$0
Other
$2,111
$3,234
A
Wichita, KS
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
C
Bakersfield, CA
Fiscal Health Score: 56/100
Average fiscal health

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