Brockton, MA vs Fall River, MA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Brockton, MA spends 42% more per resident than Fall River, MA: $58,373 against $41,251. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Brockton, MA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 49/100 (grade D) against 41/100 (grade D) for Fall River, MA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Brockton, MA carries the lighter load at $491 per resident versus $585 for Fall River, MA. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Brockton, MA at $38,500 per resident and in Fall River, MA at $28,175.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 22% of total revenue in Brockton, MA and 15% in Fall River, MA.
Summary
Brockton spends 41.5% more per capita than Fall River ($17,122/person difference). Brockton, MA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 49/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $164 | $165 |
| Income Tax | $766 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,401 | $5,430 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,028 | $1,459 |
| Other | $2,515 | $4,494 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $746 | $265 |
| Highways & Roads | $271 | $0 |
| Education | $38,500 | $28,175 |
| Public Welfare | $581 | $581 |
| Health | $279 | $178 |
| Hospitals | $191 | $602 |
| Parks & Recreation | $222 | $211 |
| Housing | $2,794 | $2,452 |
| Sewerage | $135 | $127 |
| Utilities | $2,408 | $1,773 |
| Other | $12,245 | $6,887 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.